2018 Community Awards
St. James Club
1145 Union Ave., Montreal
Thursday, November 1st, 2018 – 5:30 p.m.
The QCGN’s Sheila and Victor Goldbloom Distinguished Community Service Award honours individuals who have gone above and beyond in contributing to the vitality and reputation of the English-speaking community and who have built bridges of understanding between Quebecers of different backgrounds.
Olga Melikoff and Murielle Parkes were the movers and shakers behind the parent-driven experiment in bilingual education. Immersion blossomed into an iconic feature of the English-language public education system in Quebec, and then expanded throughout the rest of Canada. Some fifty years ago, Melikoff, Parkes and the late Valerie Neale were leaders of a parent group that established Canada’s first French immersion program at the former Margaret Pendlebury Elementary School in the Montreal suburb of St. Lambert. This formidable trio of stay-at-home mothers recognized during the Quiet Revolution that Quebec was changing, and that English-language public education needed to change with it. Working with bilingualism experts Wallace Lambert and Richard Tucker in 1965-66, the St. Lambert Parents for Bilingual Education created a pioneering French immersion class of 26 students. This initiative ultimately changed the face of English-language public education across Canada. It has also helped forge linguistic duality into a defining characteristic of our nation.
The Young Quebecers Leading the Way Award was created in 2015 by the QCGN, the Fondation Notre Home Foundation and CBC Quebec to recognize and celebrate the outstanding achievements of English-speaking Quebecers under the age of 30.
Beginning at a young age, community service has been an important value for Hayley Campbell, winner of this year’s Young Quebecers Leading the Way Award. Her active involvement has ranged from Scouts and Girl Guides to presiding at the Alpha Phi fraternity at Bishop’s University. Her long and impressive history of active leadership and involvement within and outside her community has also encompassed Quebec 4-H, the Pontiac County Women’s Institute and a dynamic role at the Shawville Fair. Among other honours, Hayley was accepted to the Alpha Phi Leadership Fellows Program for her leadership promise and was selected by the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada as a delegate to the International Peace Gardens Scholarship for young women interested in leadership, inspiring others and positive social change.
Everyone who purchases a ticket to the Community Awards celebration will be entered to win our fabulous door prize from Silver sponsor VIA Rail. It’s a gift certificate for $2000 that you can use to purchase travel – perhaps a return trip for two aboard The Ocean (Montreal-Halifax) where you’ll enjoy beautiful views of the countryside and the Baie des Chaleurs from the dome car, generous accommodations in a sleeper plus cabin, as well as freshly prepared meals in the dining car and onboard entertainment.