{"id":16764,"date":"2017-03-15T17:46:07","date_gmt":"2017-03-15T21:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=16764"},"modified":"2017-03-22T17:52:36","modified_gmt":"2017-03-22T21:52:36","slug":"leading-women-girls-recognized-as-community-builders-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/leading-women-girls-recognized-as-community-builders-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Leading Women & Girls recognized as community builders"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brock Weir <\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether they are on the frontlines of change or working behind the scenes to be the change they want to see in the world, the work and dedication of countless women in our community inspires individuals every day.
\nOn International Women\u2019s Day last Wednesday, representatives from across Aurora and Newmarket gathered to honour 23 of these community builders at the third annual Leading Women Leading Girls Building Communities Awards.
\nHosted by Newmarket-Aurora MPP Chris Ballard at Newmarket\u2019s historic Old Town Hall, the women and girls honoured on March 8 represented a cross-section of both communities, in all sectors, and of all ages.
\n\u201cThe Leading Women Leading Girls Building Communities Awards acknowledges and celebrates women and girls who demonstrate exceptional leadership in working to improve the lives of others in their communities,\u201d said Mr. Ballard. \u201cThey are champions promoting issues such as equality and healthy, equal relationships. They raise awareness in the prevention of violence against women and girls, and help in reducing racism and discrimination.
\n\u201cThese women and girls encourage others to participate in public service and act as positive role models through mentoring, coaching and volunteering.\u201d
\nThe first such individual to be honoured was Rola Issa.
\nA driving force behind the re-establishment of the Aurora LEOs Club \u2013 the youth branch of the Lions Club \u2013 Ms. Issa was recognized for giving back at both levels of the club.
\n\u201cHer relentless efforts can be witnessed through her volunteer work with the Newmarket Lions campaign to collect winter coats in need,\u201d read her citation. \u201cRola is an inspiration to the young LEOs that she works with.\u201d
\nSocial worker Angel Freedman\u2019s work as a community builder was saluted through her efforts to spearhead York Region\u2019s Fill A Purse campaign, which collects items for homeless women on the streets as well as Angel\u2019s Garage.
\n\u201cLast year\u2019s Fill-A-Purse campaign saw more than 2,700 purses donated to women that were filled with essentials for their everyday use,\u201d said her citation. \u201cHer endless volunteerism is inspiring to others and makes a positive impact on the community.\u201d
\nPhyllis Morris, who from 2006 \u2013 2010 served as Aurora\u2019s second elected female mayor, following Evelyn Buck, was recognized for her work in the public sphere.
\n\u201cPhyllis has been a leading woman within the Town of Aurora for many years,\u201d announced emcee Vivian Risi. \u201cPhyllis is a leading woman to be looked up to. She is an example to all women and young girls. Phyllis has continued to inspire young women in the community, teaching them not to give up and maintaining a positive attitude. Through her volunteer work, Phyllis continues to be a strong voice and advocate for Aurora and Newmarket.\u201d
\nNext up was Suzanne Whitehurst, who was recognized for her volunteerism with CHATS (Community and Home Assistance to Seniors), which progressed into a staff position at the Aurora-based organization.
\n\u201cSuzanne has offered Meals on Wheels to seniors, participated in a reading program for seniors, the Homework Club of the York Region Children\u2019s Aid Society, the Aurora Food Pantry and the Aurora United Church Rise & Shine Community Breakfast. Her generosity and giving spirit is endless. Suzanne continues to inspire all who meet her.\u201d
\nAnother familiar community volunteer is Juli Playter, who was heralded as \u201ctireless\u201d in her efforts to improve the lives of others.
\n\u201cShe has supported many causes, including the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Cancer Society, Newmarket Museum Board and the Terry Fox Run. Juliana has also played an important role in Take Back the Night, an international movement to raise awareness about violence against women. She leads many initiatives to support families with young children and is often a mentor to these young girls, inspiring them through her leadership.\u201d
\nA familiar face in Aurora\u2019s sports community, Sport Aurora\u2019s Laurie Mueller was recognize for her nearly two decades of dedicated work in improving the athletic scene.
\n\u201cHer passion in the development of opportunities for women and girls in sports is truly inspiring. Laurie has spent most of her volunteer life building programs and services that raise the profile and visibility of women in sport, but also in helping organizations engage women and girls in the program.\u201d
\nFighting for the rights of women, Elaine Adam\u2019s work was recognized, along with her \u201ccompassion, empathy, and boundless energy\u201d in her work with Community Living Aurora-Newmarket, Community Bread, and beyond.
\n\u201cShe is an advocate and big sister to everyone she meets. Elaine is constantly giving back to her community and is an advocate for women\u2019s rights. She is an inspiration and role model to both women and girls.\u201d
\nWhether you have tasted her jams and preserves or worked with her on a committee, the \u201cfierce passion\u201d of Jan Freedman for what she does is evident. Hailed as an \u201cinspiration to women everywhere,\u201d she was recognized for her work with a number of community organizations including the Aurora Seniors\u2019 Centre.
\n\u201cJan strongly believes that no one, especially seniors, should be without a traditional meal over the holidays,\u201d reads her citation, focusing on the Centre\u2019s annual Christmas dinner, which she has chaired for the past three years, as well as her previous recognition from the Town of Aurora for her work at the Aurora Farmers\u2019 Market and local festivals. \u201cJan continues to work and inspire women and girls throughout the community.\u201d
\nThe arts were well-represented through Alex Karolyi, who received an ovation for her volunteer work with Markham Youth Theatre, Thatz Showbiz, and Creative Through Arts.
\n\u201cAlex is a role model for many women and girls in the community with her entrepreneurial spirit and successful arts organization. She has mentored emerging artists and entrepreneurs and supported female-driven arts organizations. Alex inspires women and girls in the arts to reach for the stars and follow their dreams.
\nLeaders of tomorrow can also thank Laura Bradford, who was honoured for her work with Rotary International.
\n\u201cLaura is a very dedicated to the betterment of young ladies and is always looking for girls to get involved. Laura has been an integral part in guiding high school girls in a club called Interact. This club was created by Rotary International as a way to help young people learn about volunteering, fundraising and how to become effective leaders. Laura\u2019s hard work and dedication to the program, and the young people involved, help it remain successful.\u201d <\/p>\n

NEXT WEEK: Shaylyn Benaissa, Nadia Gaurino, Lisa Walters, Catherine Capek, Maimoona Ashraf, Gloria Reszler, Tain Monzavi, Robyn Kassam, Rebecca Boyd, Karian Guimond, Marsha Fox, Taylor Piotrowski, and Edna Bozhori.<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether they are on the frontlines of change or working behind the scenes to be the change they want to see in the world, the work and dedication of countless women in our community inspires individuals every day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/2017-03-16-01.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-4mo","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-06 05:17:54","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}