Don Valley West Pandemic Heroes
To view the original DVW Pandemic Hero Celebration stream, click here https://fb.watch/79lgUSwp8m/
Over the past year, many of our lifes has changed drastically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the impact of COVID-19, many realized that there was someone worse off than themselves, and have chosen to put others above themselves, putting thoughts into actions. They have gone above and beyond what was expected of them either through their work or through their service to the community as a volunteer. This Civic Holiday, we recognize the Don Valley West Pandemic Heros, celebrating their tremendous contributions to the community. These are all inviduals that I look up to, and we should all look up to and admire.
I would like to acknowledge these individuals for the Don Valley West Pandemic Hero Award:
- Janice Yang - Bayview York Mills Chinese Community
- For her fundraising efforts for Sunnybrook Hospital; for helping establish the daycare at The Neighbourhood Organization.
- Ariel Liang - Bayview York Mills Chinese Community
- For his involvement in donating over 4000 masks to the University Health Network; for raising funds for Sunnybrook Hospital.
- Joshua Deng - Bayview York Mills Chinese Community
- For his volunteering to establish tutoring services at The Neighbourhood Organization; for helping raise funds for Sunnybrook Hospital.
- Harry Wei - Bayview York Mills Chinese Community
- For his efforts in donating over 4000 masks to The University Health Network; for helping to raise funds for Sunnybrook Hospital.
- Bayview York Mills Chinese Community
- For donating over $71,000 to Sunnybrook Hospital for the purchase of an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machine.
- Susan Scandiffio - Leaside Life
- For her tireless efforts to volunteer and mobilize volunteers to donate food, toys and necessary items for people in need; for organizing a toy drive for Eid.
- Manizha Razban
- For her work as a Personal Support Worker helping senior citizens; for her work with the Canadian Red Cross.
- Dr. Michael Warner
- For his tireless advocacy for better working conditions for front-line health care workers; for his patient advocacy during and prior to COVID-19.
- Asif Mehmood - CCSO
- For his volunteering with food drives, including securing baby food for families in need.
- Shakeel Ahmed - CCSO
- For his tireless volunteering with the Thorncliffe Resident Group food drives; for providing food and other items to people in need.
- Mohammad Taqiullah Khan - CCSO
- For volunteering to help families in need; for his involvement in food drives during the
pandemic.
- Mohammad Taqiullah Ilyas - CCSO
- Volunteered with food drives, including baby food; toy drives; also in his building at 75 Thorncliffe Park
- Syed Almas Ilyas
- For his efforts in food drives in Thorncliffe Park and his building; for volunteering in toy drives.
- Shujaat Khan Abdul
- For helping people who tested positive for COVID-19 by assisting with shopping and other needs.
- Sakhawat Ali Khan
- For helping people in need by purchasing groceries; for taking people to the hospital; for educating and encouraging people to follow public health protocols.
- Dr. Muhammad Akbar Khan
- For his tireless work as a front line health care professional; for volunteering to train people about COVID-19 in different languages.
- Saif Ulla Khan
- For participating in many community food drives and helping people who were sick with COVID-19.
- Khalid Jang
- For volunteering in community food drives; for delivering groceries to people who had COVID-19; for informing people about public health measures.
- Qazi Hashem Jan
- For his volunteerism in delivering food and groceries to people who were sick with COVID-19.
- Ahmad Waheed Amin
- For his efforts in training healthcare professionals with international designations and referring them to hospitals during the pandemic.
- Lori Hoang
- For her compassionate service as a pharmacist and arranging delivery of prescription medications to senior citizens during the pandemic.
- Chris Stigas
- For his volunteerism with Spinal Cord Injury Ontario; for arranging Christmas baskets to be delivered to patients during the pandemic.
- Mujahid Nazir Ahmed
- For his efforts in helping people apply for federal benefits during the pandemic; for promoting the benefits of vaccination in the community.
- Shakhlo Sharipova - Don Valley Community Legal Services
- For her tireless efforts on behalf of families with autustic children; for hosting an outdoor camp for children; for leading a team of volunteers to provude meals for those in need, especially during Ramadan.
- Masood Alam - Don Valley Community Legal Services
- For his tireless efforts in coordinating and delivering food to families in need; for organizing several food drives in Thorncliffe Park during the pandemic.
- Evan Krofchick - Special Olympics Ontario
- For his volunteerism with Special Olympics; for hosting virtual sessions with swim athletes to ensure they were in good physical and mental health; for converting his company into a manufacturer of PPE.
- Rebecca Cuff - Special Olympics Ontario
- For her tireless efforts with Special Olympics in making sure that community athletes stayed active and healthy during the pandemic.
- Jane Morgan - Special Olympics Ontario
- For over 18 years of volunteering with Special Olympics; for conducting physically distanced visits with families to make sure they were well; for organizing Zoom sessions involving art and music.
- Toronto Central North East Therapy Dog Unit
- For providing virtual connection with senior citizens, people in hospital and people in respite care; for conducting visits to senior care homes with therapy dogs.
- Abdul Rashid Athar - Engaged Communities
- For his energy and efforts to encourage people in Thorncliffe Park to remain active during the pandemic; for setting an example by his daily walks and championing the benefits of physical activity.
- Mohammad Hashim Sahibi - Afghan Network for Social Services Foundation (ANSS-Foundation)
- For providing translation of public health messages; for volunteering to provide PPE to individuals and families who were impacted by COVID-19.
- Sayed Azim Sadat - Afghan Network for Social Services Foundation (ANSS-Foundation)
- For providing PPE, including face masks to people in the community; for encouraging people to follow public health protocols.
- Daud Wafa Afghan - Network for Social Services Foundation (ANSS-Foundation)
- For assisting families impacted by COVID-19 by delivering groceries and PPE; for increasing community awareness of COVID-19 through social media.
- Mansoor Ahmad - Afghan Network for Social Services Foundation (ANSS-Foundation)
- For his efforts in assisting families in need by delivering food and other grocery items; for providing PPE to people in the community.
- Mohammad Shakir Noori - Afghan Network for Social Services Foundation (ANSS-Foundation)
- For raising awareness of community supports available during the pandemic; for translating public health messages in to several languages.
- Aamir Sukhera - TNO Helped
- For his efforts in establishing the Collaborative Food Bank at TNO; for encouraging community members to be vaccinated.
- Jennifer Rajasekar - TNO
- For her efforts in assisting newcomers during the pandemic by establishing and managing a live answer call centre; for volunteering at vaccine clinics.
- Sayed Wadood - TNO
- For his efforts in refurbushing and deploying laptops and tablets to those in need during the pandemic.
- Saberullah Muhammad Gul - Afghan Network for Social Services Foundation (ANSS-Foundation)
- For his efforts in increasing commmunity awareness of public health protocols; for providing food and PPE to families in need.
- Shaheeda Shamsi - Thorncliffe Park Women's Committee
- For helping those in need by delivering meals to households during the pandemic.
- Farkhunda Siddiqi - Thorncliffe Park Women's Committee
- For helping those in need by delivering meals to households during the pandemic.
- Sabina Ali - Thorncliffe Park Women's Committee
- For her tireless efforts in providing culturally appropriate meal boxes during Ramadan; for assisting with vaccine clinics in Thorncliffe Park.
- Sogol Zand - Afghan Women's Organization
- For delivering meals to senior citizens who could not leave their homes during the pandemic; for volunteering with the vaccine rollout.
- Maryam Ali Latif - Afghan Women's Organization
- For his participation in the food drives which were supported by Second Harvest.
- Zrawer Khan Mufakir - Afghan Women's Organization
- For his participation in the food drives which were supported by Second Harvest.
- Mohammadullah Nabizadah Azizullah - Afghan Women's Organization
- For his participation in the food drives which were supported by Second Harvest.
- Arif Nadim
- For for his generous donation of cloth from his store which was used to make face masks.
- Anna De Maio
- For her tireless volunteering in helping those in need; for organizing food drives in Thorncliffe Park and helping families.
