Serving the Eastern Townships English-speaking Community since 1979.
THREE OUTSTANDING TOWNSHIPPERS
Sherbrooke May 18, 2010
Heather Keith, OT Award recipient.
Mary Purkey, OT Award recipient.
Kelli Ann Ferrigan, OT Award recipient.
The 2010 Outstanding Townshippers awards recipients are Kelli Ann Ferrigan, Heather Keith and Mary Purkey, announced Townshippers’ Association today. The recipients will be honoured at a special awards banquet following Townshippers’ Association’s Annual General Meeting on Friday, June 4, in Georgeville, along with the recently announced Young Townships Leaders award recipients.
Outstanding Townshippers Awards highlight contributions made to the life of the Eastern Townships English-speaking community. Brenda Hartwell, member of the Community and Culture Committee said, “Our community is blessed to have many good-hearted, socially responsible individuals, who are actively involved in initiatives, which serve to improve our quality of life. Unfortunately we can’t celebrate everyone who makes a contribution, but we can honour those who are nominated by their peers due to their outstanding contribution. The Outstanding Townshippers Awards were created by Townshippers’ Association to recognize people who have selflessly given an incredible portion of their time, energy, and abilities in service to our community.”
This year’s recipients have collectively given over 40 years of dedicated service both on the local and global level, and range from a grandmother of 13 to a young mother of three.
HEATHER KEITH
Heather Keith of Sherbrooke has been a pillar of community activism for over 20 years. Twice president of the Townshippers’ Association, former chair of the Health and Social Services Committee, and a founding member of “Grandmothers to Grandmothers” in the Sherbrooke area, she has worked with tireless passion for the English-speaking community. Demonstrating an active involvement in her children’s education, she chaired the school committee and was an active volunteer in the school.
Keith has also been very active in politics and environmental issues. She has sat on two municipal councils, ran as an independent candidate in the Brome-Missisquoi riding, and often attends Sherbrooke council meetings to give her opinions and ideas. She is co-author with Sharon McCully of Quebec: Bonjour, eh?, an irreverent field guide to Quebec.
At a time when many parents (and grandparents) thoughts turn to slowing down and retirement, Keith returned to school and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from McGill University. She is now enrolled in a Master’s in Gerontology at the University of Sherbrooke. Keith learned of the news of her recognition just as she was returning from a historic international Grandmothers’ Gathering in Swaziland in Southern Africa. The Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, through the support of the Steven Lewis Foundation, is giving a voice and vital support to South African Grandmothers whose grandchildren have been orphaned in the wake of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic.
MARY PURKEY
Mary Purkey, a long-time resident of Lennoxville, has been an educator at Champlain College for more than 30 years. She is currently the coordinator of the Humanities Department at Champlain College. Purkey has been a very active advocate for social justice, and has inspired her students to think on a global level with regard to human rights and democracy.
She has been involved in numerous social projects, most notably the Bishop’s/Champlain Refugee-Student Sponsorship Project and the Eastern Townships Mae Sot Education Project. The Mae Sot project sends student volunteers to the border town of Mae Sot in Thailand, where displaced Burmese migrant and orphan children receive instruction from student volunteers. Guided by Purkey’s initiative and wisdom, the project has grown to six partner schools offering free instruction for children.
KELLI-ANN FERRIGAN
Kelli-Ann Ferrigan of Sutton is known as an inventive community volunteer and organiser who radiates positive energy all around. She is the driving force behind a number of community and cultural activities that bring families, French and English, together in Sutton. These activities include the Tour des Enfants de Sutton, Family Sundays, and literary and cultural events at the Sutton Library, among others.
Ferrigan manages to create and implement all these activities while still meeting the demands of being a mother of three young children. Her creative enthusiasm and ongoing commitment to bringing her community together has earned her the admiration of many, including Eve Denis who notes, “Every time she sees something inspiring (international days, festivals, events…), she manages to make it happen for us right in our little town. She brings together so many people. It is so inspiring to have her around.”
These Outstanding Townshippers will be formally honoured at a special Awards Banquet immediately following Townshippers’ Association’s AGM in Georgeville on Friday, June 4. Also honoured at the banquet will be Young Townships Leaders award recipients Rachel Hunting and Patrick Wang, both of Sherbrooke, and Melissa MacIver of Bury.
Seating to this year’s awards dinner is limited. Please reserve your place as quickly as possible with Cathy Turner at Townshippers’ Association at 819-566-5717 (toll free 1-866-566-5717) or ct@townshippers.qc.ca. First come, first served, and no reservations are possible after Friday, May 28. Admission is $28 per person. There is no fee to attend the arts reception and the Annual General Meeting.