Charlottetown Citizens Recognized with Awards

Charlottetown Citizens Recognized with Awards
Posted on 07/30/2021
Mayor Philip Brown and Charlottetown City Council are pleased to announce the 2021 Citizen Recognition Awards, the Forbes Kennedy Volunteer of the Year Award, and the 24th annual David Eli MacEachern Bursary to mark Natal Day, the City's 166th birthday.

"What better way to celebrate Natal Day than to recognize the individuals who make Charlottetown the lively and caring place that it is," said Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown. "On behalf of Council and the City of Charlottetown, I want to express our gratitude for their dedication and service to the community. This award is also in recognition of the untold hours of work that you have dedicated to improving yourself, to learning, and to making the world a better place."

The Citizen Recognition Awards were designed to recognize extraordinary Charlottetown residents that go above and beyond to positively impact the people and community around them. This year, three residents of Charlottetown were recognized, including Sister Teresa Currie, Sterling "Stu" McFadyen, and Brooks Roche.

The Forbes Kennedy Volunteer of the Year Award was established in 2019 in honour of Forbes Kennedy, a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who approached his 30-year on-ice career with commitment and determination. When his playing days finished, he dedicated his time to coaching junior leagues, with his teams consistently finishing at or near the top of the league. He made a positive impact on many young players and their families. The award goes to someone in the community who has made a positive impact and shows the same dedication and determination exemplified by "Forbie" himself. The 2021 Forbes Kennedy Volunteer of the Year Award was presented by the Parks and Recreation Department to Rick Callaghan.

"Forbes Kennedy exemplified community spirit throughout his career and continues to do so even now that he has retired, always giving of his time to others," said Councillor Terry Bernard. "It’s an honour to present an award to a deserving individual like Rick Callaghan in Forbie’s name.”

The David Eli MacEachern Bursary was established in recognition of Prince Edward Island’s first Olympic Gold Medalist, Charlottetown native David Eli MacEachern. It is presented annually to a student graduating from Charlottetown Rural High School, Colonel Gray High School, or École François-Buote who is dedicated to excellence in sport during their high school years; competes with honour, fairness, sportsmanship, and appreciation for others; demonstrates a passion for life, learning, and excellence; and who is planning continued education and development in their chosen field of sport. The 2021 recipient of the David Eli MacEachern Bursary is Monica Gollaher, a Colonel Gray Senior High School student.

For more information about each of this year’s award recipients, visit: www.charlottetown.ca/NatalDay

About the 2021 Award Recipients:

Sister Teresa Currie’s singular desire throughout life has been to help the less fortunate. Sister Teresa joined the Sisters of St. Martha in 1952. During that time, she served as coordinator of pastoral services at St. Pius X Parish in Charlottetown while also carrying our group and individual counselling sessions with young incarcerated persons. Coupled with her missionary services, Sister Teresa committed her life to the prison ministry. Educated at St. Paul’s University, Ottawa, Ottawa University, and McGill University, her commitment to serving others was the focus of not only her personal life but also her education. She played an integral role in training chaplains, volunteers and students working in the correctional system and had a major influence in developing several preventative programs.

Sterling “Stu” MacFadyen has spent his entire career as an educator and a community builder, always prioritizing public service. Stu was recognized for his work in education at Prince Street School, his care and support for youth during your thirty years of work at the Simmons Sports Centre, and his contribution to this city as a City Councillor and Deputy Mayor. Stu has been on the frontline of enacting change and supporting residents, youth, and the city as a whole. Even in retirement, Stu continues to remain an active volunteer and community builder.

Brooks Roche has been striving to make the community a better place for everyone. Since the age of 9, he has volunteered and been involved in several community groups which have made a tremendous impact on our community. Being diagnosed with type-1 diabetes at the young age of 3, Brooks continues to be highly invested in policy change, fighting for access to insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors, as these can take a massive financial toll on many families in our region. In more recent years, Brooks was appointed to the Prime Minister’s youth council in 2019 and has used this platform to learn, educate the public and contribute to concrete change nationwide. Brooks contributed meaningfully to the establishment of Bill C-237, which is an Act to establish a national framework for diabetes and a commitment of $35 million in the 2021 federal budget for a national diabetes strategy and research.

Rick Callaghan has been a volunteer for the past 40 plus year with sports, including T-ball, basketball, and soccer. This fall Rick will be entering his 38th year as the Volunteer coach of the Parks and Recreation Departments Mini Basketball program. Over the course of 37 years, many youths in grades 1 through 4 have learned the fundamentals of basketball and have had a lot of fun doing so.
In the past Rick has been a volunteer within the local soccer association and has served as a volunteer on the Gold Cup Parade committee for ten years. Rick is able to find time in the summer to get a few rounds of golf in (sometimes twice a day). He has also helped to organize golf tournaments during the summer which help to raise money for local charities.

Monica Gollaher is a passionate athlete and student who has excelled in several sports including gymnastics, swimming, cross country running, soccer, softball, as well as beach volleyball, basketball, rugby and track. Monica has represented her school and province at the highest levels in a number of these sports, including appearances at two Canada Games. Monica understands the importance of excelling not only in sports but in her academics as well. Monica will be attending Mount Allison University in the fall and has made a commitment to play ACAA volleyball. Monica plans to continue her education and pursue medicine in hopes of becoming an emergency physician.