The Morden Area Foundation is again looking to honour someone for outstanding service to the community.
The foundation is calling for nominations for its annual Citizen of Distinction Award. The deadline is March 31.
It’s a great chance to recognize a person who has a strong commitment to making Morden a better place to live, visit, and play through their long-term commitment and efforts, suggested foundation board chair Brad Ritchie.
“Basically, it’s someone who has contributed to the community through philanthropy, business, volunteering, or through their workplace in a significant positive way,” he explained. “They’re often the people who don’t do it for the attention. They do it behind the scenes sometimes, and they do it in different ways.
“We think it really ties in well with who are as an organization … honouring people who have made a major impact in the community,” added Ritchie, who noted that the honour is decided in part by past recipients of the award.
“What I’ve found too is maybe what is an unexpected but an actual byproduct of it is that it’s motivating to others to say you know, I too can make a difference,” he suggested. “I can get involved more. I can use my skills and my talents and my experience to make a positive impact. So the recipients end up being mentors and role models in a way they could never imagine just through their recognition.”
While the award—which stretches back to when the local Kinsmen started it in 1946—initially recognized exemplary contributions based solely on volunteerism, the foundation board decided in 2018 that there are many outstanding citizens making impactful contributions to the city in many other ways, and so they expanded the nomination criteria.
This year’s winner will be announced sometime in spring ahead of a celebration to present the award in May.
Nomination forms are available online at mordenfoundation.ca or connect with the foundation at info@mordenfoundation.ca, by calling 1-204-822-5614 or 1-431-349-1138, or stopping in at 13 – 379 Stephen St.
