Awards

Dionisio (Johnny) Masangcay

Dionisio (Johnny) Masangcay

Darrel Murphy Award – Attendant of the Year

This award was established in recognition of Darrel Murphy, past director and founder of the SCI Ontario Attendant Services Outreach Program and was created to recognize an attendant for his/her outstanding contribution on the job.

Johnny has made a significant contribution to our Attendant Services program throught the last eight years. He is recognized as a competent attendant who demonstrates consistency and excellence in his job, skills and knowledge. Clients have noted that he is an excellent role model to fellow attendants and those new to the position. Johnny epitomizes what all attendants should be: caring, supportive and aware of our clients’ needs. It is a pleasure to have such a committed dedicated employee as a part of the Spinal Cord Injury Ontario community.

David Shannon

Dave Shannon

Ken Langford Lifetime Member Award

This award recognizes outstanding Canadians whose commitment and devotion to the mission of SCI Ontario has resulted in significant advances for people with spinal cord injuries in Canada and around the world. This award also honours individuals who have inspired others around them to assist people living with spinal cord injuries to achieve independence, self –reliance and full community participation.

Currently, Dave Shannon is the Executive Director of HAGI, a charitable organization serving people with disabilities and seniors in Thunder Bay and the Northwestern Ontario region. Dave has many outstanding accomplishments that have brought recognition to him, as a leader, and recognition to people with spinal cord injuries, in general. In 1997, after being called to the bar, Dave completed a cross-Canada tour via his wheelchair to bring awareness to what people with disabilities can achieve. In 2009, Dave was the first wheelchair user to reach the North Pole. He raised a wheelchair accessible parking sign, along with flags from the United Nations, Canada and Ontario to honour the feat. In 2011, Dave received the Order of Canada and by 2012, Dave was the Chief Executive Officer of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. In 2014, Spinal Cord Injury Ontario was lucky enough to have Dave participate in the Borne theatre project. Congratulations, Dave, and thank you for all you do as a leader in our community.

Jared Edwards and Family

Jared Edwards and Family

JIM AND SHARON VIGMOND LEADERSHIP AWARD

The Jim and Sharon Vigmond Award is to recognize individuals who have shown great leadership in fundraising for people with spinal cord injuries.

Jared Edwards and Family – including Eve Ojasoo, Russell Topp and Ailie Bikaunieks

This award fits Jared Edwards’ family perfectly. Four years ago, Jared sustained a spinal cord injury while at a recreational camp. Since then, Jared’s family has chosen Spinal Cord Injury Ontario as their charity of choice. To say Eve, Ailie and Russell have become dedicated advocates would be an understatement. They also have become active and extremely supportive fundraisers. Their Wheelchair Relay Challenge team, has raised $50,000 in the past three years! Ailie, Jared’s sister, arranged for Spinal Cord Injury Ontario to be the charity of choice for the Honourable Order of The Blue Goose Christmas Party. Ailie saw another opportunity last year with the Toronto Insurance Woman’s Association’s annual golf tournament, and now Spinal Cord Injury Ontario will receive a donation from this tournament for the next three years! We are so thankful that Jared and his family are part of our community!

Kim Demberline

Kim Demberline

John Counsell Award

The John Counsell Award is presented in the memory of SCI Ontario’s founder to those who demonstrate a personal commitment to the organization by giving their time, passion and expertise to advance the cause of people with spinal cord injuries.

Kim was a valued and respected member of our staff and community. Sadly, she passed away on January 1 st , 2016 in Barrie, ON at the age of 58, after an unexpected month long battle of pancreatic & liver cancer. Kim sustained her injury in 1996, and began her work at Spinal Cord injury Ontario in 1999 as a volunteer for the Wheelchair Relay Challenge, and in the Barrie Regional office working as an administrator. During this time, she also trained as a Peer Support volunteer. In 2012, she started as the Barrie Regional Services Assistant, and in March 2013 took on the role of Peer Support Coordinator. Kim was dedicated and committed to enhancing the quality of life of people with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities. In the past year alone, Kim hosted 10 Peer Connections events! Kim wanted to make Barrie a city of accessibility excellence and she was on the Accessibility Advisory Committee of Barrie for 10 years and chaired that committee for 8 of those years. In the fall of 2016, Spinal Cord Injury Ontario will hold an art show in Kim’s honour.

You can find out more here: www.sciontario.org/shadesofability.

We are so grateful for all of Kim’s contributions – her work, her laughter, her art, her commitment. Kim is missed.

Maayan Ziv

Ian Parker

Peer Activist Award

The Peer Activist Award recognizes an outstanding volunteer who has made a significant impact on public policy that ultimately benefits Ontarians with spinal cord injuries. This person works with SCI Ontario and its partners to identify solutions to long-standing systemic barriers to inclusion in community life. Through his/her leadership, commitment and strategic foresight, people with SCI will benefit from greater access and independence in Ontario.

Maayan Ziv is the founder of AccessNow, an online resource that uses crowd sourcing to share accessibility information internationally.  Maayan has created a world-wide community passionate about change.  Anyone can search for specific places or browse to see what is accessible nearby. If information isn't already on the map, users can add it and contribute to this growing, useful resource. Maayan has worked with Spinal Cord Injury Ontario to help identify accessible doctors’ offices across Ontario. She has also been a strong advocate, working with our community to increase opportunities for access. A few years ago, Maayan was a member of the cast of Borne, a theatre performance that informed audiences about living life with a physical disability. Thanks to the leadership of Maayan, Ontario is more informed about accessibility issues and more inclusive to all!

Lerners Lawyers, Toronto

Lerners Lawyers, Toronto

Corporate Tribute Award

The SCI Ontario Corporate tribute award honors individuals and organizations whose extraordinary contributions to SCI Ontario have made their communities and the world better, and have inspired others.

Lerners Lawyers, Toronto have been part of Spinal Cord Injury Ontario’s community for over 30 years. They have supported our Wheelchair Relay Challenges, our golf tournaments and galas. For the past 14 years, they have been a significant sponsor for our Ski & Snowboard Day and Brian Grant, a Managing Partner with Lerners, is co-chair of this event’s successful fundraising committee. One of the event sponsorships that Lerners supports is, “Making Dreams Possible”, which enables people with a spinal cord injury to try adapted skiing for the first time. This has had a great impact on many people’s lives, over the years. We are so appreciative of Lerners’ support and want to thank them for everything they do to support our community.

Greenrock Management

Greenrock Management

Corporate Tribute Award

The SCI Ontario Corporate tribute award honors individuals and organizations whose extraordinary contributions to SCI Ontario have made their communities and the world better, and have inspired others.

In June 2013, Spinal Cord Injury Ontario was approached by Barry Green of the Al Green family because of their concern for members of our community. The Green family was keen to find a way to help families with loved ones in acute and rehab facilities in the Toronto area. They understood how difficult it could be on a family travelling from a distance when their loved one is in hospital. As a result, Greenrock offered to include Spinal Cord Injury Ontario in their Charitable Suites Program which included a fully furnished, two-bedroom apartment for families of Spinal Cord Injury Ontario clients. Having a place to stay, gave the families one less thing they had to worry about, so they could focus on their loved one. When the apartment is vacated by a family, the Greenrock staff volunteer their time to make the unit ready for the next family, usually within 24 hours. Kelly Wright from Greenrock Property has run this program since its inception. Our community is so thankful and truly grateful for her dedication and Greenrock’s generous donation to the families of individuals with spinal cord injuries.

H & R Block

H & R Block

Employer Tribute Award

The Employer Tribute Award recognizes employers who have consistently demonstrated support and collaboration with SCI Ontario’s Employment Services.

During the last two years, H&R Block’s management team has hired 14 Spinal Cord Injury Ontario clients, including 10 job seekers for the tax season in administrative and customer service roles. Thanks to the staff and management team, led by Tanya Quinn and Blair St. Amand, who have been exceptional in considering the accommodation needs of our job seekers. Tanya and Blair have taken into consideration client needs throughout the entire employment process, including during the hiring stage.  Once hired, both were diligent in finding accessible work sites for our clients. Furthermore, those candidates who experienced subsequent transportation difficulties after their placement were relocated to work sites that were easier to access. The H & R Block community has treated their new co-workers with respect, encouragement and support.  H&R Block is an employer of choice for many of our job seekers, and an example to other companies of successful inclusive hiring.

Bill Adair

Bill Adair

Inaugural recipient

At the end of 2016, Bill Adair retired from the position of Chief Executive Officer after 22 years of service. In his honour, an award was established in his name. The first recipient of this award was Bill, himself to mark his significant contribution to Spinal Cord Injury Ontario. In future years, the Bill Adair Award will recognize an outstanding individual whose extraordinary gift of volunteer time has contributed to improving the lives of people with spinal cord injuries. Thank you, Bill, for lending your name to this important award.