Every year, Canada organizes Volunteer Awards to recognize and award volunteers who go above and beyond to support their communities. The recent award ceremony in Ottawa marked the 10th anniversary of Canada’s Volunteers Awards. Awards are presented to community leaders, social enterprises, not-for-profit organizations, and businesses that have made significant contributions towards improving the lives of others with compassion and kindness that exemplifies the generosity and strength of Canada.
Based in Ontario, Rahul Singh won the Lifelong Achievement Award for his exceptional support in disaster relief operations. The national Thérèse Casgrain Lifelong Achievement Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated unparalleled dedication to volunteering for at least 20 years. Rahul has been volunteering for over 25 years combining his emergency frontline experience with humanitarian work, providing efficient disaster relief operations.
He founded the David McAntony Gibson Foundation, known as GlobalMedic, in 1999 to honour his late friend with a strategy to engage diverse sectors for effective disaster response, as seen during the floods in British Columbia. Rahul has overseen over 249 missions in 82 countries, aiding more than 4.5 million individuals. Rahul was also instrumental in initiating a program using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for more effective aid delivery in disaster-stricken areas through precise mapping. This UAV project has received international acclaim for benefitting the relief sector.
Every year, the awards are presented to twenty regional volunteers along with one national award. The twenty regional awards are awarded to five regional recipients in each of the following four categories: Emerging Leader, Business Leader, Community Leader, and Social Innovator.
Emerging Leader:
- Atlantic: Stacie Smith
- Quebec: Jason Rivest
- Ontario: Lucia Marchionda
- Prairies: Justin Langan
- British Columbia and the North: Robin Changizi
Business Leader:
- Ontario: Humble Beginning Stories
- Prairies: Automated Aquatics Canada Ltd.
Community Leader:
- Atlantic: Angela Woodford
- Quebec: Dr. Daphnée Veilleux-Lemieux
- Ontario: Jill Kearney
- Prairies: Marc Hazlewood
- British Columbia and the North: Norman D. Crerar
Social Innovator:
- Atlantic: Survivors of Abuse Recovering Society
- Quebec: Bénévoles d’expertise
- Ontario: The Hub
- Prairies: Norfolk Housing Association
- British Columbia and the North: The Ashcroft HUB Society
Source: Government of Canada
