Brock Godfrey, an 89-year-old from North Bay, has recently received one of Canada’s highest awards for volunteers, the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.

Godfrey was presented with the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers by Brig.-Gen. (Ret.) John Hayter during a special ceremony in Barrie, recognizing his decades of unpaid service and commitment to protecting seniors.

After retiring from his job with the Ministry of Education in 1993, Godfrey wanted to stay active and continue helping others. In 1997, he began volunteering with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, then called PhoneBusters, where he answered calls from seniors across Canada who had been victims of fraud. His kindness and dedication made a real difference in the lives of many.

Godfrey’s volunteer work grew after a call with a fraud victim in Maui. What started as answering phones turned into giving in-person talks to help seniors avoid scams. He joked with the woman that he’d be visiting Maui soon and could give a presentation there, and that became the start of his next chapter as a volunteer. About a year later, he began leading fraud-awareness presentations across Ontario, eventually speaking to seniors across Canada. Over 15 years, Godfrey gave around 800 talks, sometimes to crowds of up to 500 people, and even presented to the RCMP executive committee in 2015.

Source: Nikki Cole, BayToday