Georgetown Lions Citizen of the Year and the Lion Fred Zorge Service Club Member of the Year
Halton Hills Ontario
Scroll Down to Learn More About This Year's COTY
Since 1972 The Georgetown Lions Club has honoured individuals, couples or organizations for their volunteer work in our community. They all have one thing in common, the desire to make Georgetown a better community for everyone. Our Lions members contribute thousands of hours of volunteer work each year we know what it takes to serve and it is fitting that we give recognition to a citizen who has served his or her community in an outstanding way. The final selection is based on the recipient’s achievements and their outstanding contributions to our community. The committee wishes to acknowledge and thank those Georgetown citizens who write to us and made nominations for the Citizen of the Year Award.
How Do I Nominate Someone?
To nominate an outstanding volunteer send a letter or if you prefer use our application form and return it to Lions Club Citizen of the Year, P.O. Box 73, Georgetown L7G 4T1, or email doug1951.p@gmail.com . Past nominations are carried forward for two years and will be reconsidered. This is your chance to truly recognize someone in our community that makes a difference in the lives of many in our town. To nominate using the Lions application form click on the link below:
Application Form
https://e-clubhouse.org/userfiles/25476/file/Georgetown%20Lions%20Club%20COTY%20application(1).pdf
2023 Citizen of the Year (COTY)
Photo credit Herb Garbutt from Halton Hills Today
Date: February 21
Citizen of the Year
The Georgetown Lons Club is pleased to announce that Reverend Paul Ivany has been selected as the Georgetown Lions Citizen of the Year (COTY). The award has been presently annually since 1973 to an individual, couple or organization, this year marks the 50th Anniversary of the COTY. The award recognizes those who have made Georetown a better place to live. The quality of the the nominations this year was very high making the final decision was difficult our community is so fortunate to have so many caring and committed people residing here.
Paul recently retired as the minister of Norval United Church after a 30 year long career taking the church from a small parish located in the hamlet of Norval to a large building that serves not only the spiritual needs of the parishioners but the broader community as well. The new building is now the permanent home for the North Halton Community Living adult day program and the North Halton Distress Centre.
In addition to his pastoral duties Paul has found the time to volunteer in a vast number of organizations including:
- Past member of the Norval Community Association, serving 2 years as Chair
- Past Chair of Georgetown Ministerial Association.
- Member of Georgetown Hospital pastoral care team.
- Led countless 8-week grief groups in conjunction with Jones’ Funeral Home. Saw the need for separate grief groups for those who lost a child and led those groups. Recruited and co-ordinated trained volunteers to continue to offer both grief groups to the community when he stepped away from his role as leader of the groups.
- Community Resource Person for “Safetalk” training that was provided to North Halton Distress Centre volunteers, Halton-Peel funeral directors, Separate School Board, and YMCA. (Safetalk is a 4-hour training workshop that equips people to be more alert to someone thinking of suicide and better able to connect them with further help.)
- Worked with Rick Bonnette and Bryan Lewis to arrange for all 300 town staff to have the opportunity to attend Safetalk workshops.
- Supported “Mental Health 1st Aid Training” through the Mental Health Commission of Canada that was open to community leaders and members of Norval United Church.
- Past member of Halton Hills Palliative Care Resource Team
- Participant in the Kairos blanket exercise to raise awareness of Indigenous issues
- Master of Ceremonies for 10 years for the ALS walk and a number of years for Lobster Fest
- Organize and plays in a brass band to kick off the Salvation Army Kettle Drive and previously played at Light Up The Hills
- Offered the invocation prayer for council’s inauguration
- Committed to advocating for LGBTQ+ and Indigenous communities
- Supporter of GFORCe2 and GFORCe3 (Georgetown Friends of Refugees Committee)
- Chair of the newly formed Halton Hills Interfaith Council
- Member of 100 Men who Care Halton Hills who have supported Food for Kids, Community Living North Halton, and CASHH in 2023.
- Director of the Bras Family Foundation which offers support to organizations working with those living with cancer, and also women and children fleeing abuse.
- Founding director of Redwood Shelter, a shelter for women and children located in Parkdale in Toronto
- Recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary club of Toronto-Parkdale
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Past Recipients
1972- Peggy Treahy 1997 –Ron & Dorothy Hunt
1973 – Georgetown Volunteer Fire Dept. 1998 –May & Shell Lawr
1974 – Rev. Peter Barrow 1999- Paul C. Armstrong
1975 - Georgetown Volunteer Ambulance 2000- Barry & Sandra Timleck
Service
1976- Connie Nieuwhof 2001- Manley & Doreen Densmore
1977 –Walter H. Gray 2002- Martin Boomsma
1978- Irwin & Joy Noble 2003- Jenny Tuffin
1979 – Karen Harrison 2004- Tom Schenk
1980- Violet Haines 2005- Glenda Benton
1981- A.V. Ab Tennant 2006- Louise Brown
1982- Esme Ball 2007- Homecoming Committee 2007
1983- Ralph Ursel 2008- Dr. Jeff Sutherland
1984- W. “Steamer” Emerson 2009- Ernie Bodnar
1985- Jean Layman 2010- Dianne Penrice
1986- Georgetown Girls Pipeband 2011- Laurent Thibault
1987- Edward “Ted” Gorth 2012- Graeme Goebelle
1988- Thompson “Tom” Ramautarsingh 2013- Brenda Sisnett
1989- Jesse Hayes 2014- Fred Helson
1990- Siena Van Hoekelen 2015- Kay d’Entremont
1991- Lena Johnston 2016- Dave and Dale Cox
1992- A. “Sandy” Booth 2017- Gerry Kentner
1993- Lou Darcie 2018-Dee Dee Haynes-Ridley
1994- Russell Miller 2019-20 Marilyn Serjeanston
1995 –Lois Fraser 2021- Glen MacDonald
1996 –Trevor Williams 2022 Ken Thorne and Susan Tupling
Pictures from the Awards Dinner March 22/24
Photo courtesy of Herb Garbutt Halton HIlls Today
Paul Ivany Receives the KEY to the Town of Halton Hills from Mayor Ann Lawlor
Thank you to all our valued presenters.
The Lion Fred Zorge Service Club Member of the Year
The Georgetown Lions Club has since 1972 honoured a worthy volunteer by awarding the Annual Citizen of the Year Award. Over last 47 years the award has been given to individuals, couples or organizations that have made Georgetown a better community.
The format has remained consistent until 2019, Lions Club added a new award.. The Lions is the largest service club organization in the world with over 1.4 million members in over 200 countries we know the dedication that is required to be a good service club member.
Service clubs are unique in that the members join not only to undertake community service but also to form close bonds and friendships that endure for many years. Members may channel all their volunteerism through the service club the success of the projects undertaken benefit the community while the individual member may not get the recognition in the broader community as the whole club undertook the project. The Lions felt that the community should be able to honour and publicly acknowledge those service club members that give of their time and talents to the community accordingly a new award was established commencing in 2019 and will be combined with the Lion's Citizen to the Year Award Dinner.
The inaugural winner of the award in 2019 was Lion Fred Zorge
The Lion Fred Zorge Service Club Member of the Year 2021
Kiwanian Mike Francis
Service clubs are unique in that the members join not only to undertake community service but also to form close bonds and friendships that endure for many years. Members may channel all their volunteerism through the service club, the success of the projects undertaken benefit the community while the individual member may not get the recognition in the broader community as the whole club undertook the project. The Lion Fred Zorge Service Club Member of the Year Award was created to honour a worthy service club member in the community. The inaugural award was presented to Lion Fred Zorge.
Special thanks to our caterer Linda Armstrong
