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National Award Winners 2011
Across Canada each year, thousands of people from all walks of life – be they healthcare professionals, people living with diabetes, parents with children who have the disease or individuals who care deeply about our cause – help us lead the fight against diabetes.
Each year, the Association commemorates the exceptional contributions of individuals and organizations with our eight national awards.
Frederick G. Banting Award
Dr. Kwang Yang, MD, CCFP, FCFP
Vancouver, BC
A licensed physician in Canada, England, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and author of countless medical articles, Dr. Yang is a health organization’s dream volunteer. Holding exemplary qualifications and passionately committed to our cause, Dr. Yang has been instrumental in helping the Canadian Diabetes Association become a more diverse and inclusive organization, while ensuring access to reliable diabetes health information for the Chinese community.
Dr. Yang is the driving force in the development of the Association’s Chinese programs and services. He leads the translation and adaptation of our Learning Series awareness presentations and the Association’s patient literature. He is also a frequent speaker at the Association’s health forums, and tirelessly promotes the Association at educational events. Dr. Yang helps train and support the volunteers of the Association’s valuable Chinese information line – the first and only Chinese telephone line in Canada for diabetes prevention and management.
Charles H. Best Award Presented by sanofi-aventis Canada
Dr. Réjeanne Gougeon, Nutritionist and Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University
Montreal, QC
Dr. Gougeon is the Chair of the Association’s National Nutrition Committee. Along with the committee, Dr. Gougeon oversees the translation of research into tools and resources to assist healthcare professionals to help both those at risk of diabetes, and those who are affected by diabetes to self-manage their condition.
Dr. Gougeon’s focus is to emphasize the importance of good nutrition in the prevention of type 2 diabetes, and in the management of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. She has always strived to make it easy to have the healthy choice be the easy choice—by her example, she has inspired others to do the same.
Outstanding National Corporate Award
Loblaw Companies Limited
Toronto, Ontario
Loblaws has identified diabetes as a pillar in its new corporate strategic approach to healthy living. Our relationship has resulted in support for our national awareness campaign, ‘Get Checked Now’, collaboration on diabetes risk assessment tools, diabetes screening days, as well as the delivery of education sessions for people with diabetes.
Our partnership with Loblaw helps the Association raise awareness of diabetes and prediabetes, helps recruit new volunteers and expands our reach into communities across Canada. In addition to the delivery of a fantastic program to people living with and at risk for diabetes, Loblaw has provided the Association with the highest value single year sponsorship in our history.
Kurt Kroesen National Inspiration Award
The Goodey family: Michael William and Donna Lee Goodey and daughters Candice Lee Mikkelsen and Tara Michelle Sudermann
Chilliwack, BC
Even with overwhelming financial challenges and major medical setbacks and with all four members of the Goodey family diagnosed with diabetes, this family has been a positive role model and inspiration for others with diabetes.
Mike was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes more than 20 years ago and Donna with type 2 in 2001. Their two daughters, Tara and Candice, were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as young children. For more than 20 years, Donna was a leadership volunteer with the Chilliwack Branch of the Association. She has a passion about educating the public and supporting those with diabetes, both in her family and in her community. Mike is also engaged in community work and Tara ran her own business in Chilliwack, employing 15 staff. Over the years the family has spent, and continues to spend, thousands of dollars on diabetes medications and supplies and all four of them have overcome many obstacles. But despite this they continue to have a positive attitude and remain strong supporters of the Association.
Outstanding National Partnership Award
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board
Hamilton, ON
In 2OO7, these two school boards partnered with the Association and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and introduced into their schools the ‘Kids with Diabetes in your Care’ and ‘Celbertons’ programs to better the safety and health of students living with diabetes. They created a Diabetes School Protocol, which encourages that all school staff would be trained and educated about diabetes if there was a student with diabetes attending the school.
This partnership has gained momentum and has had great success. To date, they have trained 12,095 students and 3,422 staff. The unique partnership and cooperation between the Hamilton – Wentworth District and Catholic School Boards, the Canadian Diabetes Association and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, provides an incredible example of what can be accomplished when unlikely partners work towards a common goal.
National Volunteers of the Year Awards
Ricky Agnihotri, Regional Chair, Nothern Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canadian Diabetes Association
Edmonton, AB
As the Chair of the South Asian Diabetes Awareness Committee, Ricky has worked tirelessly in contributing to the advancement of diabetes awareness, prevention and management initiatives within the South Asian community. His maturity and leadership qualities are exemplified in his ability to mobilize health professionals to serve as integral members of this newly formed committee. Led by Ricky, the Committee has successfully organized several programs, such as the South Asian Diabetes Awareness Expo with over 600 participants; Chai with the Experts workshop for women with about 300 participants, and Khana with the Experts nutrition seminar and cooking demonstration with about 200 participants.
Ricky is a true champion for the Association. He has inspired so many others, particularly youth. It is very rare that an individual has such a profound impact on an organization and the community it serves in such a short period of time.
Marcia Foreman, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator
Abbotsford, BC
Being a volunteer for more than 10 years, Marcia is passionate about supporting people with diabetes. She is not only a dietician at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital, but she also volunteers countless hours with the local Association Branch and is the lead for the annual Association educational event each November. She has played a key role in taking this event to new heights as an educational expo and incorporating a World Diabetes Day component. Last year’s event had more than 200 attendees!
Marcia is very well respected in the community and plays a key role in organizing monthly branch meetings, including facilitating speakers presenting on topics relevant to those with diabetes. She networks very effectively with sponsors and fund raising service clubs, such as the local Fraternal Order of Eagles, which has donated more than $30,000 to camps.
Dawn Gallant, Regional Chair, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canadian Diabetes Association
Mount Pearl, NL
Dawn is a Nurse and Manager with Eastern Health in St. John’s. She has type 2 diabetes and also has an adolescent daughter with type 1. She has been very active in provincial advocacy, as well as on a national level. She attended the Association’s National Day on the Hill in 2010 and, most recently, she was a participant in the Syntegration [I would perhaps explain what this is] meetings held in Toronto.
Dawn has been active in the provincial camping program as a Camp Nurse and is always willing and passionate to share her family’s diabetes story whenever and wherever possible.
Dawn is possibly best known to her community as the Lady who, along with her family and friends, takes over the Association booth at the annual Royal St. John’s Regatta, which at day’s end contributes to the Association’s coffers. This year, the cumulative total has exceeded $85,000.
Florence Highway
Duck Lake, SK
Evelyn Linklater
North Saskatoon, SK
Florence and Evelyn are influential leaders in the community of Saskatoon, both within the Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal communities. In that capacity, they travel with the Travelling Diabetes Resource Program, delivering learning presentations to rural communities. Their specialty lies in the delivery of programs to the remote and Northern communities of Saskatchewan. Florence and Evelyn thrive in these Northern communities, where they are able to speak to the youth in their native Cree language, and explain how lifestyle choices today can have an impact on their health tomorrow.
They have been a perfect example of how to live healthy lives with diabetes while overcoming difficult circumstances, and an example to us all of what can be accomplished when you set your mind to something.
Karen Kemp, Diabetes Resource Manager, Ottawa White Cross Dispensary
Ottawa, ON
For more than 27 years, Karen has lived with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes has already taken a toll on her family with the untimely loss of Karen’s sister, who also had type 1 diabetes. She has accomplished much in her 25 years of volunteering with the Association—her volunteerism has include Speakers Bureau Presenter; Health Display Volunteer; Diabetes Advocate; Residential Campaign Canvasser; media spokesperson, and more.
Karen co-created the Diabetes Action Network to help people with diabetes connect with one another for support, and she is currently a member of the Diabetes Awareness Partners of Ottawa committee.
Karen’s passion for raising diabetes awareness is truly inspirational. She never tires, never stops her efforts to ensure that the important messages about diabetes are heard by all.
National Young Volunteer of the Year Award
Ken Biggar
Timmins, ON
Ken was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in his 20’s and joined the Association in 2009, working in the Timmins Branch office and taking on a wide variety of activities in support of our mission.
The many accomplishments in which Ken has been involved with include recruiting volunteers from his own school and from other schools in his community to support the Association. He has also helped organize the annual Timmins Gala “Wines of the World” which raised $35,000 for the Association in 2010 and assisted with the annual Timmins Aboriginal Diabetes Expo. Ken re-established the coin box programme and agreed to be a volunteer advocate and work to raise the awareness of diabetes in the Timmins-James Bay riding.
Ken is truly the inspiration we all need to be successful in the work we do for the Association.
National Advocacy Leadership Awards Sponsored by Pfizer Canada
Peter McDougall, Advocate and former Chair of the National Advocacy Council
Fredericton, NB
Peter has worked in a number of volunteer capacities with the Association, among them as the past chair for the National Advocacy Council (NAC). In this role, he has overseen the national work of the NAC, advocating on behalf of people with diabetes across Canada.
On a local level, he is a frequent advocacy volunteer, meeting with government officials including the premier, health ministers and department of health officials. He has also been a frequent presenter and emcee at both regional and national advocacy meetings.
Peter has been intimately involved in assisting in influencing government policy in his home province of New Brunswick. Because of his influence, the New Brunswick government created the Comprehensive Diabetes Strategy - a long-term strategy with government funding dedicated to diabetes prevention, screening and management in the province.