Making a positive impact
Charlottetown citizens recognized with awards
The City of Charlottetown is marking Natal Day, the city’s 165th birthday, by honouring five citizens with special awards.
The 2020 Forbes Kennedy Volunteer of the Year Award was presented by the parks and recreation department to Betty Begg-Brooks, the Citizen Recognition Awards were given to Sunil Daniel, Paul Crant and Dominique Lecours and the 2020 recipient of the David Eli MacEachern Bursary is Charlie Morse. The recipients were announced this week by Mayor Philip Brown and Charlottetown city council.
The Forbes Kennedy Volunteer of the Year Award was established in 2019 in honour of Kennedy, a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who, after his 30-year on-ice career, dedicated his time to coaching junior leagues. The award goes to someone in the community who has made a positive impact and shows the same dedication and determination exemplified by “Forbie” himself. Founder of Gifts from the Heart, Begg-Brooks provides free items, such as food, clothing, furniture and household objects to Islanders in need. Among other outreach projects, Gifts from the Heart delivers food to more than 100 seniors and to women in safe housing facilities each week.
“Forbes Kennedy exemplified community spirit throughout his career and continues to do so even now that he has retired, always giving of his time to others,” said Coun. Mitchell Tweel.
“It’s an honour to present an award to a deserving individual like Betty Begg-Brooks in Forbie’s name.”
The Citizen Recognition Awards were designed to recognize extraordinary Charlottetown residents that go above and beyond to positively impact the people and community around them. Daniel, owner of 4S Catering, provides free meals each month to those who may not be able to afford them and supports the community through his catering business and family-run non-profit organization 4 Love 4 Care. He can often be found at the Farmers’ Market, DiverseCity Festivals, Farm Day in the City and many other events.
Crant's long-standing work with Charlottetown Rotary includes serving in the roles of president (20172018) and treasurer (since 2019) as well as being a board member for the past 20 years. He was one of several founders of Rotary Radio Bingo, a successful fundraiser that has allowed the Rotary Club to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to Island charities and non-profit organizations.
Lecours, the principal at Colonel Gray High School, was nominated for her leadership during the pandemic, her unending support of the staff and students and for the way she goes above and beyond her role to provide an inclusive and welcoming environment. Lecours helped ensure the class of 2020 had a graduation ceremony to the Brackley Drive-in, launched a grad lawn sign project and was instrumental in a project to celebrate the school’s diversity earlier in the year.
The David Eli MacEachern Bursary, in recognition of P.E.I.’s first Olympic gold medallist, is presented to a student graduating from a Charlottetown high school who is dedicated to excellence in sport and demonstrates a passion for life, learning and excellence. Morse, a top student at Colonel Gray High School, is a top 10 Swimming Canada junior national athlete and a qualifier for the 2020 Canadian Olympic swimming trials. He is also a musician, playing tenor saxophone. He will continue his education and his swimming at McGill University and has his sights set on representing Canada at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
For more information about each of this year’s award recipients, visit Charlottetown.ca/NatalDay.