Gould will host her annual Volunteer Appreciation awards tonight at the Royal Botanical Gardens

By Gazelle Staff

May 12th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

Karina Gould, Member of Parliament for Burlington, MP Karina Gould will gather with the 42 people who will be presented with awards recognizing their contributions as volunteers at the Gould Volunteer Appreciation Awards night.

Gould puts out a call each year to local organizations to nominate exceptional volunteers for their selfless service in the community.

From food security to culture, environmental work to health supports, MP Gould will spotlight 42 dedicated volunteers who make Burlington the community it is. These volunteers were recognized for their unique talents and skills and the important impact they make through their service.

The Names of the Recognized Volunteers:

1. 1. 1. Advancement of Women Halton, Elizabeth Rennie  
      2. African Caribbean Council of Halton, OreofeOluwa Dimeji 
      3. AgeCare Brant, Barbara Gardiner 
      4. Burlington Able Sail, Phil Taylor 
      5. Burlington Aquatic Devilrays, Andy Newman 
      6. Burlington Centaurs Rugby Club, Rob Piti 
      7. Burlington Historical Society, Patricia Taylor 
      8. Burlington Lions Club, Andrea Florian 
      9. Burlington Masters Swim Club, Melanie Price 
      10. Burlington Minor Lacrosse Association, Adam Kennedy 
      11. Burlington Oldtimers Hockey Club, Scot Cameron 
      12. Burlington Terry Fox Run, Allison Webster 
      13. Burlington Trampoline & Tumbling Inc., Catherine Bishop 
      14. Burl-Oak Naval Veterans, Andrew Peter Barber 
      15. Co-ed Adult Recreational Hockey League, Patte Beltrame 
      16. Distress Centre Halton, Matthew Kowalchuk 
      17. Extendicare Burloak Long Term Care, Barbara Vucinic  
      18. Food for Life, Arf Darr 
      19. Food4Kids Halton, Elaine Forbes 
      20. Food4Kids Halton, Gary Forbes 
      21. Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga-Dufferin, Katharine McKee 
      22. Halton Children’s Aid Society, Joan Lewis 
      23. Halton Food for Thought, Nancy Turingia 
      24. LifeChurch, Vivian Dobb 
      25. Our Kids Network, Hajra Saqib 
      26. Paroisse Saint-Philippe, Chantal Larochelle 
      27. Pride Halton, Brookelynn Dean 
      28. Rolling Horse Community Cycle, Bugs Vanderzwaag 
      29. Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore, Brent Paszt 
      30. Rotary Club of Burlington North, Clinton Howell 
      31. Royal Botanical Gardens, Deborah Harasym 
      32. SAVIS of Halton, Suzanne Stolz 
      33. Shaarei-Beth El Synagogue, Julia Appleton 
      34. Shifra Homes, Wendy Thiessen 
      35. Special Olympics Burlington, Greg Vagasky 
      36. St Gabriel Parish, Raffaela Kapusty  
      37. Raphael Parish, Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton, Patrick Braganza  
      38. Summit Housing & Outreach Programs, Jon Harrison 
      39. The Art Gallery of Burlington, Christina Moskal 
      40. The Burlington Performing Arts Centre, Peter Van Dyk 
      41. Vipers Wheelchair Basketball, Larissa McClellan  
      42. Woodview Mental Health and Autism Services, Sherri Dockree     

These are people you may meet on occasion – thank them for their service.