Ontario Celebrates the Outstanding Contributions of Volunteers In Whitby

December 1, 2022

WHITBY – The Ontario government has recognized 49 Ontarians in Whitby with a
Volunteer Service Award, an annual award honouring the exceptional contributions of
individuals providing dedicated service to a single organization.
Recipients of the award were recognized at a virtual ceremony held on November 29,
2022 and received a personalized certificate and lapel pin to acknowledge and thank
them for their years of service.

“Looking after our neighbours and community has never been more important, and I am
grateful to see so many local volunteers continue to selflessly step up, and embody the
best of the Ontario spirit,” said Lorne Coe, MPP for Whitby and Parliamentary Assistant
to the Premier. “I want to thank and express my deepest gratitude to these incredible
Whitby residents receiving this year’s Volunteer Service Award for helping to make our
community strong, and vibrant.”

The 4,555 recipients of the 2022 Ontario Volunteer Service Award, from across the
province, support a wide range of organizations and causes, including those serving
families, children and youth, vulnerable people, hospitals, senior centres and food
security programs. These volunteers also help as board members, in fundraising, in
promoting the arts and showcasing the different cultures that make Ontario unique.
The 2022 Ontario Volunteer Service Awards recipients from Whitby include:

Youth Volunteer Service Awards
 Lala Li, Centre for Immigrant and Community Services – North York Centre

5 Years of Service
 Kelly Barta – Girl Guides of Canada, Ontario Council – 31st Whitby Brownies
 Cynthia Bonar – Girl Guides of Canada – 20th Whitby Pathfinders
 Kayleigh Angela Cerezo – Philippine Independence Day Council
 Melissa Clemmenson – Girl Guides of Canada – 20th Whitby Sparks
 Tanja Coughlan – Optimist Club of Brooklin, Ontario
 Sherry Corbitt – Girl Guides of Canada – 3rd Brooklin Guides
 Matt Douglas – Lakeridge Health Foundation
 Jean-Marc Guertin – Community Care Durham – Meals on Wheels, Whitby
 Rob Hanson – Brooklin Spring Fair
 Tracy Hanson – Brooklin Spring Fair
 Rojan Javid – Tirgan Centre for Art and Culture
 Sarah Kroekenstoel – Brooklin Spring Fair
 Denise Lafromboise – Optimist Club of Brooklin, Ontario
 Melissa Lunn – Girl Guides of Canada – 3rd Brooklin Guides
 Jeanette Manning – Community Care Durham – Meals on Wheels – Whitby
 Jim McGrorey – Brooklin Spring Fair
 Leslie McWilliams – Girl Guides of Canada – 2nd Whitby Guides
 Emma Moore – Girl Guides – 2nd Brooklin Sparks
 Claudia Nosseir – Grandview Children’s Centre
 Lisa Ramsden – Girl Guides of Canada – 3rd Brooklin Brownies
 Lesley Rudisch – Girl Guides of Canada – 3rd Whitby Pathfinders
 Jane Speed – Girl Guides of Canada – 3rd Brooklin Guides
 Beverley Tarren – Optimist Club of Brooklin
 Courtney Terry – Brooklin Spring Fair
 Qi Wang – Education & Multi-Culture Alliance of Canada
 Kristie Webster – Girl Guides of Canada – 18th Whitby Guides
 Fangli Xie – Education & Multi-Culture Alliance of Canada

10 Years of Service
 Janet Brittain – Community Care Durham – Meals on Wheels
 Lee Carter – Habitat for Humanity GTA
 Effie Coughlan – Optimist Club of Brooklin
 Casey Keller – Girl Guides of Canada – 21st Whitby Brownies
 Kelly Langridge – Girl Guides of Canada – 3rd Brooklin Brownies
 Tracy Spearing – Girl Guides of Canada – 34th Oshawa Pathfinder Rangers
 Janet Thorsteinson – Girl Guides of Canada – 2nd Brooklin Guides
 Lynn Vukosavljevic – Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre
 Rebecca Whiteside – Kindred Spirits Orchestra
 Julia Wilson – Girl Guides of Canada – 2nd Whitby Rangers

15 Years of Service
 Mala Ramdeo – The Hanuman Mission
 Mary Wick – Optimist Club of Brooklin
 Cong Bo Zhou – Chinese Artists Society of Toronto

20 Years of Service
 Erika Andrusiak – Girl Guides of Canada, Ontario Council – 31st Whitby Brownies
 Victoria Wood – Girl Guides of Canada, Ontario Council – 31st Whitby Brownies
25 Years of Service
 Candice Fulcher – Girl Guides of Canada – 20th Whitby Sparks
 Leanne Hart – Girl Guides of Canada – 2nd Whitby Rangers
 Carole Keys – Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre

40 Years of Service
 Shari Steffler – Girl Guides of Canada – 1st Whitby Pathfinders
 Lori Wood – Durham Region Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society
 Stephen Wood – Durham Region Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society

60 Years of Service
 Janice Slaughter – Girl Guides of Canada – 1st Whitby Guides

“Every day thousands of volunteers from all over the province dedicate their time and
talents to make Ontario a better place,” said Premier Doug Ford. “As Premier, I want to
thank each and every volunteer for the efforts they make and the examples they set for
the next generation of Ontarians. We could not ask for better role models and we are so
grateful to them all.”

“Volunteers are the backbones of our communities. The incredible volunteers in Whitby
have embodied the best of the Ontario spirit and have shown – through their
commitment, dedication and selfless service – that we can achieve anything when we
come together as Team Ontario,” said Michael Ford, Minister of Citizenship and
Multiculturalism. “Our government thanks these incredible leaders, changemakers and
everyday heroes for the incredible work they do to make our communities and our
province a stronger and better place to live, work and succeed.”

For more information about the program or to submit a nomination, please visit the
Ontario Volunteer Service Award webpage.