Ontario Heritage Trust announces recipients of volunteer achievement awards

TORONTO, Feb. 14, 2014 /CNW/ - Today, the Ontario Heritage Trust announced the recipients of its annual award programs recognizing achievements in heritage conservation by volunteers.

Recipients are recognized for outstanding achievements in built, cultural and natural heritage conservation during the previous year - or over many years, in the case of Lifetime Achievement volunteers. The Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award is the highest award given through the Ontario Heritage Trust programs. Those being recognized for achievements in 2013 include:

• 79 young volunteers being recognized as Young Heritage Leaders. Of these, one individual and one group will receive the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Youth Achievement.
  
  
• 298 volunteers being honoured through the Heritage Community Recognition Program for local conservation activities. Of these, 18 individuals with contributions of more than 25 years will receive the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Each year, Young Heritage Leaders and Heritage Community Recognition Program recipients are presented with their awards during local presentations, coordinated by the nominating councils and schools. Recipients of the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards will be presented with their awards at Queen's Park in Toronto on February 21, as part of the Ontario Heritage Trust's activities celebrating Heritage Week.

Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life have supported the Young Heritage Leaders program since its inception with funding through the companies' national corporate citizenship program. The individual recipient of the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Youth Achievement will be presented with a $2,000 post-secondary scholarship, jointly funded by the Ontario Heritage Trust and Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life.

QUOTES

"Ontario is home to a unique cultural heritage that is as diverse as the towns, regions and communities that comprise our great province. The individuals and organizations that we honour today have made significant contributions - be it toward one local project or over a lifetime - that help preserve our shared history and collective identity for generations to come."
— Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport

"Heritage Week is a time to celebrate the history of Ontario and to recognize those who are helping to ensure it remains a lasting legacy. Through their achievements, these volunteers have played a valuable role in ensuring that Ontario's stories will live on."
— Thomas H.B. Symons, Chairman of the Ontario Heritage Trust

"We've supported Young Heritage Leaders for more than a decade because we appreciate the value of encouraging youth to take the lead in preserving local heritage and ecology. We're pleased that our long-term support helps the Ontario Heritage Trust recognize and inspire young leaders to greater involvement as we all work to build stronger communities together."
— Jan Belanger, Assistant Vice-President, Community Affairs, Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life

LEARN MORE

• See the 2013 Ontario Heritage Trust recognition program recipients backgrounder.
• See the 2013 Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award recipients backgrounder.
• Visit www.heritagetrust.on.ca for information about these recognition programs, including how to submit a nomination.

The Ontario Heritage Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage.

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SOURCE: Ontario Heritage Trust

For further information:

CONTACTS

For more information about the Trust's recognition programs, contact Catrina Colme at 416-325-5074 or [email protected].

For more information about Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life, contact Marlene Klassen, Assistant Vice-President, Communication Services, at 204-946-7705 or [email protected].