1.Please select your choice for the Pillar Community Innovation Awards Community Choice recipient.

Food Bruce Grey, United Way Owen Sound: https://www.foodbrucegrey.com/

The United Way of Bruce Grey saw an increased demand for fresh and healthy food during the pandemic and wanted to better illustrate the escalating issue of food insecurity. To bring their foodbank and meal programs together, and unlock the power of data, the United Way partnered with start-up company NPX to build the Food Bruce Grey App – a data collection platform that allows food programs to capture and share their data and to show their impact in the community. Designed to illuminate the scope of food insecurity, using real time data, this website is intended to educate, start conversations and find solutions through collaboration. Several communities across the country are now planning to use a version of the tool to highlight food insecurity in their own regions.

London Muslim Mosque Community Support Program: https://www.londonmosque.ca/

The London Muslim Mosque Community Support Program provides assistance for community members in need with outstanding bills, one-time expenses and food vouchers. The Community Support program helps families through challenging circumstances such as income loss or structural barriers associated with immigration. The program greatly improves the quality of life for many low-income families who are unemployed or newcomers. The Mosque has directly assisted over 200 families and continues to support dozens of families each month. This initiative demonstrates the importance of supporting those who may have barriers to accessible information and support due to cultural and language constraints as well as the need for fair and equitable community supports to help those most in need.

YMCA of Southwestern Ontario: https://www.ymcaswo.ca/

The YMCA of Southwestern Ontario is a multi-service charity that provides opportunities for growth in spirit, mind, and body for people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and abilities. With health and fitness branches, camps, child care centres, community programs and newcomer services across the region, the Y is committed to the development of healthy communities. During COVID-19, the Y demonstrated exemplary innovation as they pivoted their programming to ensure community resilience including bringing their fitness classes and Community School Programs online, and developed new programs and outreach approaches to meet the needs of newcomers to Canada and vulnerable Londoners. Through adjusting ways of delivering programs and opening their doors to vulnerable Londoners, the Y continues to live by the mandate and value of inclusion. 

Jyoti Vaidya
 
For over forty years, Jyoti Vaidya has led numerous volunteer projects supporting the Nepali community in London and at home. Jyoti has spearheaded initiatives including helping government assisted refugees from Bhutan with basic needs and support, advocating and fundraising for those affected by the 2015 Nepal earthquake, celebrating Nepali and Bhutanese culture locally and supporting Nepali youth through the performing arts and sports. He is currently associated with Helping Hands without Borders Canada. As a project lead, Jyoti led a multi-prong campaign to help the local Nepali-speaking community protect themselves from COVID-19 by reducing barriers to information and vaccine access resulting in over 900 community members being vaccinated. Across his projects, Jyoti focuses on helping those on the margins, making sure those most vulnerable are heard and supported.

Leroy Hibbert: https://www.leroyhibbert.com/

Leroy Hibbert is married to a wonderful woman named Helen and they have two grandchildren. He is the Multicultural Outreach Program Coordinator at LUSO Community Services. At LUSO, Leroy leads programming on race relations, cultural diversity and is involved in multiple initiatives focused on youth engagement, equity and anti-racism. As a founding member of the Pledge to End Bullying, Leroy was instrumental in highlighting racism as part of the regional campaign. Leroy works closely with the London school boards consulting on strategies to help students become anti-racist. He is a member of, TVDSB’s Equity and Inclusivity Advisory Committee, and supports the, LDCSB’s Belonging Committee and the Coaching Boys into Men Committee and the London Black History Coordinating Committee. Leroy is a trusted advisor and advocate for the local Black community often sought after by the media for his deep knowledge on Black history and current events.

Sarah Lehman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-lehman-0a4539110

Sarah Lehman is a long-time supporter and lead volunteer of the Extra Life London Guild, a key fundraising program for the Children’s Health Foundation. Under Sarah’s direction, the guild has seen a steady increase in funds that have helped to support children and their families during their most vulnerable times. In a once male-dominated volunteer group, Sarah advocates for the inclusion of different voices and opinions ensuring everyone can feel heard. Sarah’s leadership has reinvigorated the volunteer groups that help to raise funds for the hospital and her perseverance has allowed the guild to expand to other regions. She is described as an outgoing and vivacious leader who always lends her voice to those who need support and is not afraid to step back to let someone else shine.

Elyssa Rose, Okaadenige Program, Atlohsa Family Healing Services: https://atlohsa.com/

Elyssa Rose, Little Thunder, is an Anishnaabe Kwe, of the Marten Clan from The Chippewas of Kettle & Stony Point First Nation. As the Indigenous Advocate & Anti Human Trafficking Coordinator at Atlohsa Family Healing Services, Elyssa leads the anti-human trafficking program, Okaadenige. Okaadenige is for survivors of human trafficking, exploitation and sexual abuse. Through her work, Elyssa has successfully connected those at risk, victims and survivors with services and supports, as well as equipping the next generation of Indigenous youth with the tools, knowledge and empowerment to identify and avoid recruitment into human trafficking. Elyssa carries a strong passion for advocacy and has the voice for it. An active member of the London community, she is dedicated to ending violence against Indigenous people and devoted to the recovery of culture and revitalization of healing and wellness in all our communities. Elyssa Rose is the co-founder and lead organizer of London’s Turtle Island Healing Walk held on July 1st, 2021. She also received the International Human Rights Judiciary award.

Samanta Krishnapillai, The On Canada Project: https://oncanadaproject.ca/

Samanta Krishnapillai is the Founder, Executive Director and Editor in Chief of The On Canada Project (OCP). The OCP launched in June 2020 to address the gaping inequities in pandemic-related communications. Since then, they have grown to use their conversational, credible, compassionate and critical lens to talk about issues facing our country. Samanta’s dynamic and participatory leadership style enables the grassroots, volunteer-based project -- with over 170 core team volunteers -- to empower and engage Millennials and Generation Z to stay informed, take up action and champion change in the time of COVID-19 and beyond. The project aims to equip Canadian youth with easy-to-understand, equitable and evidence-based information, so it is easy to engage in public discourse. They simplify and share information so their audience can champion change and work towards addressing deep-rooted systemic inequities in Canada.

Carol Walters, Alzheimer’s Society Southwest Partners (AlzSWP): https://alzswp.ca/

Carol Walters served as CEO of the Alzheimer’s Society London and Middlesex since 2017 and is now CEO of the unified agency, Alzheimer’s Society Southwest Partners (AlzSWP). AlzSWP works to alleviate the personal and social consequences of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias offering a suite of services to people living with dementia, care partners and their families. The organization supports their clients’ journeys through counselling, education, support groups and social recreation programs. Under Carol’s leadership, the Society has significantly increased the visibility and accessibility of their services within the region to help with early diagnosis and intervention. She’s a strong advocate, an active community partner and has led various projects to ensure inclusive outreach such as her support in launching the Dementia Friendly Communities program to educate personal service providers, businesses, first responders and other community services about the needs of clients.

COVID Care Kits - Crouch Neighbourhood Resource Centre, Glen Cairn Community Resource Centre, Youth For Christ London: https://www.crouchnrc.org/

Covid Care Kits was a partnership between Crouch Neighbourhood Resource Centre (Crouch), Glen Cairn Community Resource Centre (Glen Cairn) and Youth For Christ London (YFC). The collaboration was a response to immediate concerns about food security for low-income and/or immunocompromised residents in the early stage of the pandemic. In March 2020, Crouch lost access to all of its operating space and approached Glen Carin for support to sustain their emergency food services in the Hamilton Road Neighbourhood. Glen Cairn immediately offered use of their community kitchen and warehouse, allowing the first 45 Covid Care Kits to be delivered to low income residents who would normally access the Emergency Food Cupboard at the Crouch Library.  As basic needs services across the city shut down and requests for basic needs support continued to rise, the operation outgrew Glen Cairn's space and YFC offered the use of their gym for food sorting as well as assistance with wholesale food procurement. At the height of the first wave, Crouch, Glen Cairn and YFC worked together to deliver food, hygiene items and educational materials to more than 700 low-income and immunocompromised residents in the Hamilton Road and Pond MIlls neighbourhoods on a weekly basis. 

Health Outreach Mobile Engagement (H.O.M.E) - London InterCommunity Health Centre, Middlesex London Paramedic Service, Regional HIV AIDS Connection, Addiction Services of Thames Valley, London Cares Homeless Response Services: https://www.homeprogram.ca/ 

Health Outreach Mobile Engagement (H.O.M.E) is a collaboration between London InterCommunity Health Centre, Middlesex London Paramedic Service, Regional HIV AIDS Connection, Addiction Services of Thames Valley (Canadian Mental Health Association, Thames Valley) and London Cares Homeless Response Services. H.O.M.E provides a multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral mobile response to improve the health outcomes and health equity of highly marginalized individuals in London. The program addresses the ongoing crises of opioid poisoning and overdose and housing precarity amplified by COVID-19. The collaborative partners, who have a long history of responding to these challenges, came together to respond to these three intersecting crises on people who experience homelessness, are insecurely housed, or are underhoused. The H.O.M.E. partners provide more holistic and lower-barrier access to services by developing a ‘many agencies, but one team’ approach to improving the health outcomes and health equity of highly marginalized individuals.

Robert's Ideal Giveaway - Ideal Way, Catholic Central Highschool: https://www.ideal-way.ca/ 

In 2006, Robert's IDEAL Giveaway was conceptualized, by Robert Pio Hajjar, to help relieve poverty amongst his peers with disabilities.  At Giveaways, qualified individuals are invited to "shop" and enjoy lunch for “free”, and are given the opportunity to make choices. This empowering program provides material benefit with dignity to individuals with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness and those living in poverty.  Local schools who partner with Ideal Way benefit from mentorship opportunities provided by IDEAL Champions & Leadership Mentors. In November 2019, Ideal Way collaborated with Catholic Central High School (CCH) to implement Robert's IDEAL Giveaway. 100 volunteers distributed $75,000 worth to 500 individuals.  As a result of this collaboration, Ideal Way beneficially connected with persons having intellectual disabilities and experiencing homelessness and those in group homes/supported independent living.