Some may accuse the media of being driven by “bad news” and always looking for the down side to get a better headline.
That might well be true.
But here at the The Record, we’re proud of the fact that we’re also always looking for the up side – and for the people who fill the community with the kind of “good news” that we all need more of in our lives.
At the end of the year, we like to take a look back at some of those people we’ve encountered throughout the year – and we salute them with our “If Everyone Were Like Them, The World Would Be a Better Place” award.
Here are our winners from 2014:
Howard Dai and Tiger Xu:
Something not going right? Then step up and fix it yourself. These two young go-getters from New Westminster Secondary School have the kind of can-do attitude that the world could use more of. Faced with the news that their school might not have a year-end drama production (thanks to the maternity leaves of a couple of key teacher players), the two took it upon themselves to make a production happen. With guidance from Renee Bucciarelli of City Stage New West, the two spearheaded a production of Neil Simon’s Rumours in May - and made sure that graduating students had that onstage experience to look back on as a high school highlight. Kudos to Howard and Tiger – we need more people like you in all aspects of city life.
Emily Luu:
This 10-year-old came to our attention in the spring, when she was featured in an issue of Discovery Girls magazine – she won her way into the magazine through a contest that included a questionnaire. The magazine covers real girls’ real issues – like most embarrassing moments, how to handle friendship problems or coping with their Worst Day Ever – and Emily and her featured counterparts put a real-world face on discussions for other girls their age. It’s all focused on kindness, respect – for yourself and others – and building confidence in the person that you are. And Emily embodies all of those qualities. Kudos to Emily and her family – and thanks for being part of our life in 2014.
Jen Casey:
A lot of people talk the talk on environmental issues – but fewer people walk the walk. Jen Casey is one of them. The local entrepreneur built up her own business, Dimpleskins, around creating all-natural skincare products for babies, and this past year she stepped up to take on a new role: serving as a “green” coach for local families through the David Suzuki Foundation’s Queen of Green. She worked with five local families who were “entry-level green” and took them through an eight-week journey towards becoming more environmentally conscious – in easy, everyday ways. Casey and one of her families, the Schieblers, met with us in March to share their stories. For that we say: thank you. You’ve helped to make the world a little greener.
The Fox family:
That would be Alexa Bennett Fox, Isaac Fox and Quentin Fox, the sibling team behind the New Westminster Pop-Up Library project. Inspired by the way they saw pop-up libraries building a sense of community in Vancouver neighbourhoods, the siblings thought they could bring the idea to New Westminster – and they did. They held a library-building workshop at River Market in the summer, got themselves a Neighbourhood Small Grant through the Vancouver Foundation and held a launch event at River Market in the fall. Thanks to this community-minded family, New West now gets to be home to these awesome little homes for shared books – and, hopefully, an increasing sense of shared community. Kudos.
Leona Green:
The owner of Greens and Beans Deli on East Columbia Street, is quick to respond to needs of those near and far, hosting fundraisers for causes such as the Lac Mégantic train disaster, the Salmonbellies or the Columbia Street fire victims, participating in awareness campaigns for ending domestic violence and cooking up tasty soup for the local extreme weather shelter. The tip jar at Greens and Beans isn’t designated for tips – funds go to various causes. Green’s community efforts resulted in her being named New Westminster’s Citizen of the Year in 2004. What many may not know is she was nominated again in 2014 – and graciously turned it down. Along with contributing to many causes, Green brings a sense of fun to her work – whether it’s by bringing the Soup Nazi (Larry Thomas) to town for fundraisers or encouraging diners to do a little dance for free soup.
Amber Anderson:
As with so many community heroes, Amber Anderson doesn’t see herself that way – in fact, even though she was nominated as the city’s Citizen of the Year, she didn’t mention to her daughter that she was attending the Platinum Awards dinner, since she figured someone else would surely win it. As it turns out, Anderson did win – and deservedly so. The local chef is a driving force behind the 12th Street Music Festival, president of the West End Business Association, a volunteer with St. Barnabas Church, and executive director of the HAVE Culinary Training Society, which works to address poverty and unemployment in the Downtown Eastside by providing culinary training. She’s a person who uses her passion for food and cooking not for her own good, but for that of the community around her. In other words, she’s the kind of person every city could use more of.
What do you think? Who were the community heroes of 2014? Send us a line to [email protected], or tweet us @TheRecord.
