For the past 6 years, Dianne has captained a team who participates in the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life Oshawa Event. Each year, some of the names and faces of the team may change, but there is still a Pink Hat Brigade team participating in the Relay for Life Oshawa Event. To date, Dianne’s team, The Pink Hat Brigade, has raised in excess of $19,000.00. p>

Each year, the team’s major fund-raising event is the Annual Pink Hat Brigade Yard Sale, being held for the past three years in the parking lot of Fletcher Chiropractic, 1890 Glenview Road, Pickering, Ontario. For at least 7 months prior to the mid-May sale date, Dianne works tirelessly in contacting friends, family, businesses, collecting yard sale donations from those friends, family, co-workers, and sometimes even complete strangers. Each weekend Dianne and her husband Ken travel around the GTA and Durham Region picking up yard sale donations, bringing them home, cleaning them up, pricing them, and packing them up for storage in their home until the sale date.

The day of the sale finds Dianne and various members of her team setting up tables and unpacking boxes from 2:30 a.m. and working through the day with not only team members, but also friends who are not even on the team. They just come out to help. The day ends when they finish clearing it all up by around 8:00 p.m. Relay Day begins early with packing the cars with tents, chairs, tables, Pink Awareness products, decorations, food, water, everything a team of 20 or so plus visitors will need for a 15 hour stay. By 4:00 p.m., Dianne and her husband are at the Relay site, unloading the cars, setting up two campsites, organizing the team, making sure all the necessary paperwork is ready, everyone has their Pink Hats on, the flag is ready, the noisemakers are in hand, and the team is ready to begin the Relay. The Relay itself begins at 7:00 p.m. Friday night, and continues until 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Then, the campsites are taken down, cars are packed up, and everyone goes home for some well-deserved sleep.

During the 2008 Relay for Life, Dianne even went so far as to challenge her team that she would shave her head at the Relay for Life if the team could collect $1,000.00 in donations in a four-hour period. They were successful, and Dianne, true to her word, had her head shaved in front of approximately 1,000 people.

Dianne also sells Pink Awareness products to raise money for the Cancer Society, and has spent many weekends at her sale table, selling everything from t-shirts to snow brushes, including her hand-made crystal bookmarks, home-made fudge, and a cookbook she and her sister produced from recipes submitted by, once again, friends, family and OPG co-workers.

After the Relay for Life in June, Dianne then turns her attention towards the Salvation Army’s Toy Mountain. Dianne helps her friend Neil Haden with collecting toys for the Uncle Neil and Friends Toy Mountain Show which is held the 2nd Sunday in December. In 2010, this Toy Mountain Show raised over 8,000 toys.

Congratulations Dianne!

Ryan is a very active member for the Chatham-Kent Fire Department Station #3 as a Volunteer Firefighter. He has been a member for 14 years and during that time he has dedicated very long strenuous hours within his community. Ryan has responded to many different fire emergencies including many water and ice emergencies.

Ryan has participated for 13 years in the Wallaceburg Christmas parade to collect canned goods for the Salvation Army. He has also taken it upon himself to study on his own time to achieve a firefighting certificate from the Ontario Marshalls office.

Upon transfer to the Niagara Plant Group, Ryan was unable to move his family there. He found accommodation with an elderly lady in the local community. In order to assist this individual, Ryan has been spending approximately ten hours per week renovating the basement at no charge.

Congratulations Ryan!

Pavan Seth lost a brother to a car accident when he was 14 years old and immediately had problems dealing with this. Over ten (10) years ago Pavan began counseling others who experienced the same type of loss. Pavan currently attends the Bereavement Families of Ontario Toronto office weekly to hold groups sessions and is sometimes called in under emergency services to hold one-on-one sessions for anyone who needs immediate counseling.

Pavan has a kind soul, is willing to help anyone and is very deserving of this award.

Congratulations Pavan!

After School Program:

Jim was the treasurer and registrar/greeter as well as being in charge of kitchen and the snack area clean up for an After School Program – the Whitby, Homework, Activities and Mentoring (WHAM). This is a special after school program, offering children ages 6 to 12, individual homework help, healthy snacks, exercise, crafts, as well as a variety of other activities in a welcoming and safe environment. The program, held at Westminster United Church, worked in partnership with the Durham Regional Police since 2007.

St. Vincent Pallotti's Kitchen,Operated by Durham Outlook for the Needy:

Jim volunteers with a kitchen clean up team that washes dishes, cleans the tables and storage areas, removes garbage and does whatever else is needed to have the kitchen sparkling for the following day.

The kitchen offers low-cost ($1.25) daily meals in a dignified manner to the needy individuals and families in Oshawa and the surrounding community.

Canadian Military Museum Oshawa:

Jim is a volunteer guide at the Canadian Military Museum in Oshawa. The museum has 43 restored military vehicles and 100’s of artifacts from the 1800’s to present day. As well as being a guide, Jim is responsible for opening the museum and ensuring it is secured at closing time

Westminster United Church

Jim is a willing volunteer for many church activities especially when it involves outreach opportunities for the wider community.

He is an ushering team leader, a coffee host, and the coordinator of a group that sets up tables and chairs for special events and activities like bazaars as well as funerals. He also helps out the Christmas hamper program that serves close to 100 grateful families in the wider community by picking up the groceries for the hampers and then delivering the baskets of food and gifts.

Animal Friend

Many neighbours and friends know that they can call on Jim to care for their pets when they are going to be away. The dogs sure enjoy their walks and some extra attention.

Congratulations Jim!