NEWS RELEASE
YMCA OF THREE RIVERS
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The Arboretum at the University of Guelph was buzzing with energy last night as the YMCA of Three Rivers honoured Guelph’s newest Women of Distinction. The 30th Women of Distinction Awards recognized and celebrated the contribution of women who have worked to improve the quality of life in Guelph, and beyond.
Honoured this year were Dionne Daley, the founder and president of the BIPOC Outdoor Gear Library; Madhur Anand, a celebrated author and STEM researcher; Melissa Perreault, an Indigenous neuroscientist; Patricia Tersigni, a community champion and recent chair of the United Way community campaign; and Shakiba Shayani, the first female president and CEO of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce.
The Young Trailblazer Award was presented to Emma McKendry-Baker, a neurodivergent student who is an active volunteer, fundraiser and community champion.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was for Marie Zimmerman, the former director of Hillside Festival and a founding member of the Guelph Fab 5. In her acceptance speech she highlighted the need to create space for women’s voices in art, literature, music and more.
Throughout the evening, several honourees spoke of the need to create space for women, sharing that they have had to overcome hurdles that are unique to women, girls and gender diverse people. One honouree reminded the audience that oppression of women, girls and gender diverse people is still a major problem in other parts of the world.
Sponsored by Skyline Group of Companies, and other generous community organizations and businesses, proceeds from the event will support programs for women, girls and gender diverse youth at the YMCA of Three Rivers. This includes programming for teenage parents, 2SLBGTQ+ youth, and young girls; all of which are free for participants.
In her remarks at the event, the COO Andrea Kingswood encouraged the award recipients to think of this as the beginning of their Y Story: “Y Stories remind us why we do what we do, and keeps the focus on our mission – to inspire individuals to reach their full potential.”
This event is held every other year; the YMCA will issue the next call for nominations in late 2025 for celebrations in spring 2026. If you would like to receive the nomination package for the next Women of Distinction Awards in 2026, please contact the YMCA of Three Rivers at [email protected].
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