NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF GUELPH
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Mayor Cam Guthrie will present Mayor’s Awards to five local volunteers and community builders on June 28 as part of the Guelph Awards of Excellence gala.
Mayor’s Awards have been presented each year since 1997 to recognize individuals who are making exceptional contributions to the Guelph community.
The 2018 honourees are:
Anne Godfrey, a community leader, member of several local boards, mentor, and volunteer who served six terms on Guelph City Council from 1975-85. Anne played key roles in the establishment of the River Run Centre and the Willowdale day care centre and served on the boards of the Children’s Aid Society, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Big Sisters, the Guelph Arts Council, Women In Crisis, the Canadian Mental Health Association, Homewood Health Centre, and the Canadian Federation of University Women.
Robert Harris, a founding member of the board of Silence, a downtown Guelph not-for-profit music venue that hosts more than 400 music-related and community events a year. Silence is committed to providing a space where concerts are affordable, experimentation and improvisation are valued, and as much revenue as possible flows into the hands of musicians.
John Dennis, a member of the board of Transition Guelph who has spearheaded the creation of the Guelph Tool Library, the Urban Sugaring Project, the Repair Café, and Sew North. John has also volunteered with Fair Vote Guelph, Habitat for Humanity, the Social Justice Committee at the Church of St. Matthias and St. James the Apostle, and Living Better on Less.
McKenna Hilpert, a Grade 12 student at St. John Bosco Catholic High School who has served as a student senate representative with the Wellington Catholic District School Board, the student lead for St. John Bosco’s social justice club, and a participant in the Guelph Police Service Youth in Policing Initiative and Youth Engagement Program.
Sean Hutton, a local student who started a Polar Bear Walk when he was seven years old to draw attention to the effects of climate change on Canada’s arctic and the polar bears that call it home. Five years later, this annual walk has gone national, involving more than 30 schools across Canada in addition to hundreds of students in Guelph, and has raised thousands of dollars for the World Wildlife Fund.
“One of my favourite parts of being Mayor is receiving Mayor’s Awards nominations every year. It’s a window into the great work that people are doing every day to make Guelph a better place. I am honoured and humbled to shine a spotlight on this year’s five worthy award winners,” said Mayor Guthrie.
More information about the Mayor’s Awards and the 2018 honourees can be found here.
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