Community Spirit Award submission examples

Recognizes outstanding individuals, businesses or organizations who have made a significant voluntary contribution to the artistic and/or cultural community of the Town of Oakville through the development, support, conservation or promotion of local heritage, culture, music, visual, performing, or literary arts.

How is the nominee contributing to the Town of Oakville’s vision of being a vibrant and livable community for all and demonstrate at least one of the values of the town (leadership, inclusivity, fiscal responsibility, sustainability, excellence and quality of life)?

The “Love Arts” team at Villeoak High School demonstrates their dedication to bringing arts and culture to their peers by encouraging student participation regardless of experience. They work tirelessly to organize events in support of students to help build a sense of community whether as a performer or audience participant.

“Love Art” helped build social connections through activities that involved group participation, teamwork, and collaboration. The team allowed students to develop their social skills and form new friendships. Exposure to arts and culture has broadened their perspectives.

What challenge/priority has the nominee identified/addressed as it relates to the award category?

While the pandemic has been challenging for everyone, perhaps one of the most significant impacts has been on our youth. Arts and culture play a vital role in enriching the lives of young people. Despite facing numerous challenges, including a post-pandemic school culture, limited teacher resources, and dwindling arts and culture opportunities due to funding, the volunteers remained dedicated to their mission of enriching their school community through pop-up theatre shows, art exhibits, lunchtime music, and more.

Why is this nominee deserving of a Community Spirit Award? Share specific examples that demonstrate how the nominee has made a significant impact and/or positive benefit in the community through their actions and activities.

Arts and culture provide a creative outlet for youth to express themselves and explore their emotions. This team was able to organize art exhibitions to showcase the work of their fellow students. They launched a lunchtime Improv Club who performed during lunch breaks and welcomed musicians to play between sets. They organized a cultural event to celebrate the diversity of their school through music, dance, and food. They painted a collective mural that is now displayed in the main corridor of their school. Through various forms of art, these students developed new skills, built self-confidence, and gained a sense of accomplishment. Their unwavering dedication inspired others to get involved, and together, they were able to create a vibrant arts and culture following in their school.

Recognizes outstanding individuals, businesses or organizations who have demonstrated environmental leadership by making significant voluntary contributions to the sustainability, protection, conservation, or beautification of Oakville’s natural and built environments.

How is the nominee contributing to the Town of Oakville’s vision of being a vibrant and livable community for all and demonstrate at least one of the values of the town (leadership, inclusivity, fiscal responsibility, sustainability, excellence and quality of life)?

The Milk Bag Mat (MBM) volunteer team is a perfect candidate for the Climate Action Community Spirit Award. They collect, clean and weave milk bags into multi-purpose mats that are used worldwide. These durable bags take considerable energy and up to 1000 years to breakdown, making the MBM team's initiative critical. They've repurposed over 36,000 milk bags, delivering over 600 mats to countries in need. This group has connected the community locally and globally while repurposing single-use plastics, demonstrating local climate action with global reach.

What challenge/priority has the nominee identified/addressed as it relates to the award category?

In 2014, Rose started the Milk Bag Mat project, housed at Oakville's Faith Baptist Church. Volunteers, many seniors, weave mats while sharing meals and recipes, increasing community connectedness. Local schools, businesses, and community orgs have collected 36,000 bags and woven 600 mats. These multi-purpose mats have been hand-delivered by local faith organizations to over 6 countries, impacting lives worldwide. Comfortable, cool, lightweight, and bug-deterring, the mats carry the Oakville logo, connecting people globally and locally.

Why is this nominee deserving of a Community Spirit Award? Share specific examples that demonstrate how the nominee has made a significant impact and/or positive benefit in the community through their actions and activities.

Town Hall is a milk bag collection site where primarily elderly volunteers started the Milk Bag Mat project by hand-weaving each mat, dedicating considerable time despite experiencing pain. To increase productivity with less effort and pain, they built weaving looms. This group also taught other school and community groups to build looms and weave mats, sustaining this unique initiative. This project has a positive impact on the local environment, builds community and individual connections, and benefits people worldwide. Appreciation cards from mat recipients celebrate the positive benefits for people of all ages and abilities.

Recognizes outstanding individuals, businesses or organizations who have made significant contributions in their neighbourhood by showing kindness, instilling community pride, or ensuring public safety to make Oakville a better place to live, work and play.

How is the nominee contributing to the Town of Oakville’s vision of being a vibrant and livable community for all and demonstrate at least one of the values of the town (leadership, inclusivity, fiscal responsibility, sustainability, excellence and quality of life)?

Mirabel has proven to be not only a good neighbour, but a great neighbour to my elderly mother who lives next door. While I try to help as often as I can, I can’t be at her side at a moment’s notice. I live about an hour away and we are very lucky to have Mirabel in our lives. I promise, this is done out of kindness and volunteerism (I have offered to get help and/or compensate her). Mirabel is clear that she chooses to do this and has made huge effort to get to know my mom and take the time to engage with her on a personal level. This involves simple acts such as stopping by for a quick chat, offering to help with household tasks or inviting her over for dinner.

What challenge/priority has the nominee identified/addressed as it relates to the award category?

Being a one-hour drive away, it scares me that my mother lives alone. Mirabel is my eyes and ears until I can convince my mom to move into a retirement facility. A recent retiree and widow herself, Mirabel is beyond patient and recognizes that my mom has more limitations than her, let’s say, “younger” neighbours. That said, she remains respectful of my mom’s independence while also being available to assist when needed. Mirabel is dependable and trustworthy, and always follows through on promises and commitments. She offers emotional support during difficult times and is attentive to any signs of distress or illness.

Why is this person deserving of a Community Spirit Award? Share specific examples that demonstrate how the nominee has made a significant impact and/or positive benefit in the community through their actions and activities.

I’m not sure I would be able to sleep at night if Mirabel wasn’t a stone’s throw away from my mom. Mirabel’s good deeds do not go unnoticed. She regularly helps with grocery shopping, yard work, or transportation to appointments. After losing her ability to drive, my mom struggled with loneliness and isolation. In addition to Mirabel’s visits, she has connected my mom to her local seniors centre for activities. In fact, she even found her a carpool partner to get her back and forth. Her support has been invaluable!

Recognizes outstanding individuals, businesses or organizations who advocate for others, motivate the community, or have had an inspirational influence on others.

How is the nominee contributing to the Town of Oakville’s vision of being a vibrant and livable community for all and demonstrate at least one of the values of the town (leadership, inclusivity, fiscal responsibility, sustainability, excellence and quality of life)?

You can always count on Anjuli to be honest, respectful, and supportive while getting any job done. She is a model citizen, who is dedicated to making a difference in the community that she and her family live in and is always there when you need her. She has never missed a volunteer shift, has brought innovative ideas to the Accessibility Advisory Committee board she sits on and is well respected by her peers. Her enthusiasm for life and helping others truly inspires others to be better versions of themselves.

What challenge/priority has the nominee identified/addressed as it relates to the award category?

At the age of 82, Anjuli is inspiring others to live an active, healthy life and give back to the community. She has been going to Zumba classes every week religiously for the last five years, helps deliver hot meals to other seniors through Meals on Wheels once a week and has been volunteering her time helping people find their way around the local hospital. Did I mention she has also been serving on the Accessibility Advisory Committee board for the last three years to help identify, prevent and remove barriers to making our town accessible? Anjuli’s dedication to leading a life by example is infectious and she is a true inspiration to those around her.

Why is this person deserving of a Community Spirit Award? Share specific examples that demonstrate how the nominee has made a significant impact and/or positive benefit in the community through their actions and activities.

Anjuli shows that age is just a number and that there are so many ways you can make a difference in the community. She’s described as the “energetic” one in her Zumba class and has made great friendships with the individuals she delivers hot meals to. If you’ve been to the hospital, you probably recognize her smile and her helpful offer to direct you to where you need to be. She is so well-known and involved that she’s helped raise thousands of dollars for Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital initiatives. But her reach doesn’t stop there. Through the Accessibility Advisory Committee board, she’s been a strong advocate for seniors and has helped provide valuable feedback that make Oakville more accessible and inclusive.

Recognizes outstanding individuals, businesses or organizations who have made significant voluntary contribution, beyond legislated requirements, to make Oakville a more inclusive community regardless of visible/invisible disability, race, gender, sexual orientation, income, etc.

How is the nominee contributing to the Town of Oakville’s vision of being a vibrant and livable community for all and demonstrate at least one of the values of the town (leadership, inclusivity, fiscal responsibility, sustainability, excellence and quality of life)?

Sam has worked tirelessly to advocate for the rights of people with disabilities to ensure that they have access to the resources and support they need to thrive. They have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to creating inclusive communities and breaking down barriers that prevent people with disabilities from reaching their full potential. Their tireless actions have brought about positive change for people with disabilities.

What challenge/priority has the nominee identified/addressed as it relates to the award category?

After losing some of their mobility in a car accident, Sam learned about the obstacles that those with disabilities encounter daily. Automatic doors that aren’t working, inaccessible buildings, difficult road networks, and more. Sam committed to being an advocate for change and lobbies government agencies and local businesses to do better. Through their activism, Sam has touched the lives of countless individuals and families, providing them with the tools and resources they need to overcome challenges and achieve their goals. Their tireless dedication, compassion, and expertise have made a profound impact on the disability community, and we are grateful for their unwavering support and advocacy.

Why is this person deserving of a Community Spirit Award? Share specific examples that demonstrate how the nominee has made a significant impact and/or positive benefit in the community through their actions and activities.

Sam has lobbied all levels of government and local agencies to make the community more accessible and inclusive. Sam continues to identify issues that need to be addressed and gathers relevant data to support their case. They act as an ally to educate, inform, and propose potential solutions. Sam has rallied like-minded individuals and community groups to amplify their message and gain more support. Sam regularly attends public meetings, hearings, and forums to raise awareness and advocate for the cause and uses social media and other channels to educate the public about the importance of accessibility and inclusivity.

Recognizes outstanding individuals, businesses or organizations who have made significant voluntary contribution, beyond legislated requirements, to make Oakville a more inclusive community regardless of visible/invisible disability, race, gender, sexual orientation, income, etc.

How is the nominee contributing to the Town of Oakville’s vision of being a vibrant and livable community for all and demonstrate at least one of the values of the town (leadership, inclusivity, fiscal responsibility, sustainability, excellence and quality of life)?

I am honoured to nominate Kane for the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility Award for their tireless efforts to raise awareness for transgender rights. As a passionate advocate for social justice, Kane has worked to create a more inclusive and equitable society for trans people through their activism, education, and community building.

What challenge/priority has the nominee identified/addressed as it relates to the award category?

Since coming out as transgender, Kane has been met with both love and hate. Regardless, they have shown exceptional dedication to this cause through their work in organizing events, speaking engagements, and community outreach. They have made significant contributions to the LGBTQ+ community by providing support and resources to those who need them, and by raising awareness of the issues facing trans people.

Why is this person deserving of a Community Spirit Award? Share specific examples that demonstrate how the nominee has made a significant impact and/or positive benefit in the community through their actions and activities.

Through Kane’s activism and advocacy, they have brought much-needed attention to the struggles and discrimination faced by the transgender community. Their efforts have resulted in a greater understanding of the challenges that transgender people face and have helped to create a more accepting and inclusive society. I wholeheartedly believe that Kane is a deserving candidate for this award. Their work has had a profound impact on the lives of many people, and they have shown exceptional leadership and dedication in their efforts to promote equity and justice for all. I strongly recommend Kane for this award and believe that they would be an excellent representative of the values that this award program embodies.

Recognizes outstanding individuals, businesses or organizations who exemplify leadership or innovation, and inspire others to work collaboratively and respectfully to enhance the quality of life of others.

How is the nominee contributing to the Town of Oakville’s vision of being a vibrant and livable community for all and demonstrate at least one of the values of the town (leadership, inclusivity, fiscal responsibility, sustainability, excellence and quality of life)?

Bev continuously inspires her peers in her role as volunteer Team Lead at Heart to Heart. She is accountable and dedicated to her volunteer team who delivers support services to hundreds of Oakville residents in need. She responds quickly and is always conscious about both the client and volunteer needs. She thinks outside the box to find innovative ways to provide care and empathy, especially when the team is at capacity. She is compassionate, empathetic, and respectful, treating everyone she encounters with kindness and dignity. If everyone could have a Bev in their life, the world would be a much better place.

What challenge/priority has the nominee identified/addressed as it relates to the award category?

Bev struggled to get support for her son and was frustrated by agencies' "sorry, we can't help" response. She quickly learned how difficult the “system” was to navigate and promises to help those in a similar predicament. When Bev created Heart to Heart, she envisioned a free service that would lessen the load for those already struggling. She helps connect residents to the services they need and acts as quality assurance to ensure those services are working. She has built valuable relationships with the community, and those she has helped have been inspired to volunteer their time, creating a ripple effect of positive change. Bev's vision and dedication to helping those in need have made a significant impact on the community.

Why is this person deserving of a Community Spirit Award? Share specific examples that demonstrate how the nominee has made a significant impact and/or positive benefit in the community through their actions and activities.

Bev approaches her volunteer work with enthusiasm and a can-do attitude, always striving to go above and beyond to make a meaningful difference. Since 2019, she has helped more than 100 people connect to the services they need. Her research continues to discover new services and build allies who are committed to the greater good versus red tape. She has developed scripts and step-by-step guides to help navigate various social services in order to access the support or funding needed.