Senator Tony Dean

Ottawa, December 8, 2017 – Senator Tony Dean is pleased to announce the names of eight worthy recipients of the Senate 150th Anniversary Medal.

Senator Dean awarded medals to these exceptional community volunteers in recognition of their selfless commitment to serving Canadians most in need of support.

The medal program is a Senate of Canada initiative to honour Canadians for their community service.

"I saw this as a terrific opportunity to recognize those who give of themselves every day in the service of others, without any expectation of recognition. These are local Canadian heroes who are building their communities one step at a time. It has been a privilege to play a small part in honouring them," Senator Dean said.

Five recipients were honoured in events in Ottawa on November 29, 2017. The remaining honourees will be recognized in a separate event in their home city of Toronto.

The eight recipients, with brief descriptions of their contributions to their communities, follow:

Lorraine Anderson is the founder of the Firgrove Learning and Innovation Community Centre, a hub in the Toronto Community Housing neighbourhood of Firgrove Crescent. Lorraine offers the services of a computer lab, a library, a kitchen, a common space and more to anyone who needs it, whenever they need it.

Amanda Coombs has been an active leader in the Jane and Finch community for several years and the Toronto Community Housing tenant representative for her community. Amanda has founded an organization called Back 2 Basickz, which provides support to residents in Toronto who have recently been released from prison and are struggling to reintegrate into society.

Clyde Healey has dedicated his time to many volunteer roles, including as chair of the Canadian Games for the Physically Disabled, vice chair of Workplace Safety North, member of the Ontario Workers’ Compensation Board, and advocate for a veterans’ commemorative memorial, among many others.

Mary Lou Jorgensen-Bacher has been an enthusiastic fund raiser for the United Way for each of the past 23 years, raising money each year by participating in the CN Tower stairs climb. She raised over $13,000 in 2017 and many times that over the past couple of decades.

Maleksultan Nanji passed away in the summer of 2017 and has been awarded this medal posthumously. Until close to the end of her life, she engaged in and had a passion for volunteer work, devoting her time at places like the Jamat Khana mosque and local nursing homes.

Bryan Peart is a youth mentor and leader in his community. Bryan has secured funding for youth programming, including for events like Fynch and the O’Connor Youth Vybes Crew, a platform for young people to advise and take leadership roles in developing resources. Bryan also co-designed the safeTYnet project, which went on to win the Toronto Mayor’s Community Safety Award.

Evan Steingarten has been a volunteer with the Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre for 7 ½ years. Evan has dedicated over 5,000 hours in volunteer work and has become a well-known and respected figure in the community centre, as well as a valuable member of the Christie Ossington team.

Tamara Stratiy has been volunteering with the Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre for over 12 ½ years. A dedicated worker, Tamara has dedicated her time to welcoming newcomers into the community centre, filling out intake forms and providing referrals to several organizations throughout the community.