Three region residents honoured
Three Waterloo Region residents were recognized for outstanding contributions at the 2023 Ontario Senior Achievement Awards.
The trio — two from Cambridge and one from Waterloo — were among 20 award winners honoured on Thursday by Edith Dumont, lieutenant governor of Ontario, and Raymond Cho, minister for seniors and accessibility, at Queen’s Park in Toronto.
Sharon Richards, of Cambridge, began volunteering at Langs, a multi-service community-based organization in Preston, more than 20 years ago. Richards has facilitated Langs’ social and recreational programs for their early years programs, through to their older adult program.
Richards, according to a press release, makes a positive impact on everyone around her and the broader community and shares Langs’ vision of maintaining a safe community with accessible services.
Sharon Livingstone, also from Cambridge, began working in 2010 to transform Cambridge into an Age Friendly community, based on the World Health Organization’s eight Age Friendly domains.
She has participated as a volunteer, a member of the older adult community, as a volunteer facilitator and as a subject matter expert in consultations with more than 60 engaged community members to develop recommendations for various levels of government and service providers.
Livingstone, the release stated, has an unwavering commitment to improve the lives of older adults and has been a steadfast proponent of AgeFriendly communities through her volunteer efforts.
Chris Howlett, of Waterloo, works with Strong Start, a registered charity that helps children learn to read, with programs running across Ontario. When he started with Strong Start, the organization had already helped 10,000 children learn to read. By 2023, with his support, that number had grown to 54,000 children.
To recognize his huge contribution, Strong Start introduced the Chris Howlett Award in 2020. Howlett has “brought the best of technology and charity together through his work,” the release stated.