March 29, 2004OTTAWA – Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, and His Excellency John Ralston Saul will spend four days in Toronto, from March 31 to April 3, 2004. This will be the fifth in a series of visits focused on cities."We want to know what it is that makes cities like Toronto a liveable city, a city that people feel pride in, that people feel they participate in," said the Governor General. "And we've focused on cities because that's where you find in Canada the largest diversity, the greatest extremes of social and economic conditions and the most intense concentration of creative, innovative citizens who are trying to put together the fabric of a new kind of urban life."The visit will focus on youth and community building. Governor General Clarkson will deliver the University of Toronto Faculty Association's C.B. Macpherson Lecture on Wednesday, March 31, at 7:00 p.m.On April 1, Governor General Clarkson and John Ralston Saul will spend the day in the Regent Park neighbourhood and participate in several activities during a walking tour. The tour will include visits with youth-related organizations such as Regent Park Focus Multi Media Centre and drop-in centres run by Dixon Hall. The tour will conclude with a discussion with local youth about plans to revitalize the neighbourhood.Later that day, the Governor General will host a community reception for Regent Park residents at the Regent Park Community Recreation Centre. Everyone from the community is invited to attend. Governor General Clarkson will end the day by meeting students, parents, volunteers, staff and directors of The Pathways to Education Program.On Friday, April 2, the Governor General will participate in a variety of events in the community of Malvern. She will talk about community building with students at Lester B. Pearson Collegiate Institute and Dr. Marion Hilliard Senior Public School. The Governor General will then stop over for lunch in the food court of the Malvern Town Centre. Following lunch, she will take part in a roundtable discussion on youth and community development.The visit will end on Saturday, April 3, in a joint Caring Canadian Award and citizenship ceremony. Her Excellency will swear in 15 new Canadian citizens and present 15 Governor General's Caring Canadian Awards to Ontario residents who have made outstanding contributions to their communities. This event will take place at Jarvis Collegiate Institute, at 10:30 a.m.A detailed itinerary of the Governor General's visit to Toronto will be released shortly. Citation for the Caring Canadian Award recipients are attached (Annex). For more information on the Governor General's Caring Canadian Awards, please click on http://www.gg.ca/honours/caring_e.asp.-30-Media information Lucie Brosseau Rideau Hall Press Office (613) 998-0287 www.gg.caRandy Mylyk Press Secretary to the Governor General (613) 290-0014AnnexReta Beckett, Scarborough, Ontario Governor General's Caring Canadian AwardFor many years, Reta Beckett has provided selfless care to neighbours and to senior citizens in her community. She has helped people in her apartment building for more than 25 years, tending to sick neighbours, driving them to medical appointments and serving meals. For 17 years, she volunteered as a cashier for the gift shop in Scarborough's Centenary Health Centre and, for more than 25 years, was a canvasser for the Scarborough Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society. She has served coffee to senior citizens at a recreation centre for 13 years and provides baked goods and handicrafts for church bazaars. Through her generous actions, Mrs. Beckett has brought cheer and comfort to many people.Lillian B. Clark, Oakville, Ontario Governor General's Caring Canadian AwardLillian Clark has provided entertainment and nourishment to many senior citizens in her community. For 30 years, she has coordinated entertainment by and for senior citizens at retirement homes, seniors' clubs and hospitals through an organization now known as Seniors Art Services. She has served the organization as chair and continues to coordinate talented musicians and performers for the enjoyment of the elderly. For 17 years, Mrs. Clark delivered and cooked meals through her local Meals on Wheels. She has also devoted her time and energy to youth, helping to form the first Girl Guide group at St. Lea's Parish in Mimico and volunteering at a local school to encourage students to participate in the arts.Alan W. and Lynne L. Day, London, Ontario Governor General's Caring Canadian AwardFor over 20 years, Alan and Lynne Day have built friendships with isolated people, including psychiatric patients in hospital and the elderly at home. They provide emotional support and transportation to medical appointments. For 30 years, they have assisted a Montessori school attended by their children, with Mr. Day helping to set up science fairs and Mrs. Day serving hot lunches and supporting reading programs. The Days have also volunteered as a family for five years at a weekly church dinner program that provides meals for dozens of needy individuals. One month each summer for the past three years, they have travelled to Romania to support a camp run by a Christian orphanage for homeless boys. The Days teach English at the camp, help with cooking and send clothing and books throughout the year.Bruce Evans, Etobicoke, Ontario Governor General's Caring Canadian AwardA member of the Royal Canadian Legion since 1975, Bruce Evans works hard to share his own and other veterans' experiences with young Canadians, promoting awareness of the contribution of Canada's veterans. In 1979, he helped form his church's refugee committee to assist and sponsor refugees from Vietnam; he still co-chairs the committee today. Mr. Evans visits patients at the Trillium Health Centre and mentors those scheduled for heart surgery. He also helps with day-to-day hospital chores and emergency services. He visits veterans in retirement homes and is on the planning committee for a new nursing facility. Mr Evans continues to set a busy pace as a volunteer to ensure that the people in his community live in a caring and supportive environment.Joan Kathleen Jeffery, Oakville, Ontario Governor General's Caring Canadian AwardFor Joan Jeffery, people come first. A retired nurse, she has volunteered several times a week in the renal dialysis unit at the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital since 1997. She is willing to tackle any job, large or small—driving patients, serving hot beverages, distributing blankets or doing the filing. She also served as vice president and president of the hospital's board of directors, which oversees the activities of over 700 volunteers and the raising of $225,000 each year. Mrs. Jeffrey is now chair of the auxiliary's nominating committee. In addition, she has volunteered at a seniors' residence and helped elementary schoolchildren improve their reading skills. Along with her infectious laugh, this lively woman is appreciated by all who know her.Jessie Kaye, Hamilton, Ontario Governor General's Caring Canadian AwardJessie Kaye believes that individuals matter, and in her work she has shown that they do. A 25-year member of Amnesty International, she spends 10 hours a week writing to political leaders about human rights issues. Through the Tibetan Trans Himalayan Society, a humanitarian organization, for 30 years she has sponsored Tibetan refugee children living in India. She has also raised funds for sanitation projects in the Himalayas. She has provided support to Tools for Peace, a Canadian non-profit organization working to improve education, employment and health care in Nicaragua. Despite health problems, she continues to reach out with energy, humour and sensitivity in whatever way she can to bring an end to human suffering.Danielle Elizabeth Lambert, London, Ontario Governor General's Caring Canadian AwardAs a grade seven student at Princess Elizabeth Public School, Danielle Elizabeth Lambert decided to help her French teacher reach a five-year objective to raise funds for needy children in Haiti. Miss Lambert used beautifully decorated paper boxes that she and her classmates had learned to make earlier in the year, filling the "miracle boxes" with small surprises such as seeds or friendship bracelets. Several of her classmates followed her lead and together they created many of these boxes, which were then sold at a school bazaar. The boxes were so successful at the bazaar and in following months that $12 000 was raised, more than doubling the original goal. For the past five years, Miss Lambert has demonstrated compassion in seeking to assist people who are less fortunate.Marion Grace Barker Langford, Toronto, Ontario Governor General's Caring Canadian AwardMarion Langford has been a passionate supporter of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for 40 years. She has advocated for increased public awareness and financial support for the Orchestra and was instrumental in the establishment of the Young People's Concerts and the National Concerto Competition. She has promoted music education through the Musical Mosaics and Adopt-A-Player programs. Apart from her involvement in the musical sphere, Mrs. Langford was a founding member of Delisle House for youth and the treasurer of C-CAVE, Canadians Concerned About Violence in Entertainment. She also served as a youth group leader for her church, as a member of the United Church Women's Group and on a number of church committees.Sidney Lax, North York, Ontario Governor General's Caring Canadian AwardSince 1978, Sidney Lax has been volunteering for the Men's Service Group at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. He helps the Centre provide its residents with activities including outings to baseball games, art galleries and evening recreational programs. He can be found at the Centre's office several days a week, performing administrative duties, helping to serve food at brunches and assisting during evening programs. He also participates in fundraising activities for the Centre and was instrumental in the distribution of the Honour Roll yearbook. For 25 years, Mr. Lax has given freely of his time, frequently working long hours in support of social programming for the elderly.Robert Charles Pettitt, Cambridge, Ontario Governor General's Caring Canadian AwardFor 30 years, Robert Charles Pettitt has given generously of his time to his community. Since the mid 1970s, he has been active on the board of Saint Luke's Place, a senior citizens' complex, and as a committee member and Sunday school teacher for Wesley United Church. For the past 20 years, he has served at the local, provincial and national levels of the United Way. He was a key fundraiser with the United Way of Cambridge and North Dumfries, which recognized his commitment in 1993 by establishing an award in his name to honour individuals demonstrating extraordinary United Way and community leadership. In freely offering his expertise to many organizations in Cambridge, Mr. Pettitt has done his community a great service.Adriana J. Pouw, Brampton, Ontario Governor General's Caring Canadian AwardAdriana Pouw has been teaching crafts to disabled adults with the Peel Association for Handicapped Adults for 26 years. Despite the time constraints involved in raising a large family, she has travelled by bus regardless of weather and rarely missed her full day of teaching each week. For 25 years, she has also participated weekly at St. Anne's Parish in the Over 55 Group, preparing crafts for the annual bazaar. Respected by Brampton's residents for her unobtrusive and caring deeds, Mrs. Pouw has performed many acts of kindness, including welcoming a newcomer to the community into her home and family life for three months.Mark Salvador, Oakville, Ontario Governor General's Caring Canadian AwardMark Salvador gives selflessly of his time to his community. During high school, he volunteered on a regular basis at the Toronto Daily Bread Food Bank. When he began his studies at Queen's University, he quickly became involved in the John Howard Society visiting inmates at the Kingston Penitentiary. In 1998, he founded the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation for Kingston, promoting the power and importance of simple human kindness. For months Mr. Salvador visited shop owners asking for donations, and wrote and attached little notes with optimistic messages to the items he received. Then, on a designated day, he, along with the mayor and other volunteers, handed out more than 1 000 small gifts to people in the community as random acts of kindness.Nicholas Volk, Toronto, Ontario Governor General's Caring Canadian AwardNicholas Volk was the driving force behind the Society of St.-Vincent-de-Paul's first foray into providing housing for low-income families. Over the course of seven years, he assembled a board of directors, applied for funding and mobilized the community in an effort which culminated in the opening of Gower Park Place, a 164-unit subsidized housing development in Toronto. While he was chair of Habitat for Humanity Toronto, his vision and determination propelled the organization to build many more houses a year than had previously been achieved. Mr. Volk is deeply committed to providing affordable housing for all members of our society.Elizabeth A. M. Waters, Hamilton, Ontario Governor General's Caring Canadian AwardWith her contagious smile and exuberance, Elizabeth Waters has been giving to her community for years with outstanding dedication. The first person with Down syndrome to pass the lifeguarding exams at Hamilton's YWCA, she has volunteered since 1988 as a swimming instructor for persons with disabilities. She volunteers at a nursing home and assists others in the community by preparing meals and caring for pets. She helps shut-ins and people living with cancer by doing household chores. Miss Waters encourages and motivates others to try harder and make the most of their abilities. With the Girl Guides, she has a special gift for encouraging girls who are withdrawn. She brings her enthusiasm and commitment to excellence to everything she undertakes.
