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Community pride shone bright at the Municipality’s first ever Community Builder Awards ceremony. Family, friends and members of Council gathered at the Almonte Old Town Hall Thursday, August 25th to celebrate the outstanding efforts, actions and achievements of Al Potvin, Jane Torrance and Sherryl Smith, and their significant and profound contributions to life in Mississippi Mills.
The Mississippi Mills Community Awards were developed to recognize and honour individuals for their impact to life in the municipality. Nominations were sought in April and each form required two supporting letters detailing the recent or ongoing activities or contributions of the nominee.
“It’s an absolute privilege to honour these individuals who serve as an example for all of us, teaching us to give of our time, of our talents and of ourselves as gifts for the greater good of our community,” said Mayor Christa Lowry, Municipality of Mississippi Mills.
Al Potvin was recognized for his tireless commitment to making the community a better and healthier place to live, work and raise a family. He dedicated decades of his life nurturing and transforming his property on Carss Street into a community space. After carefully choosing a developer to carry on his vision of the property, Al created an incredible legacy by donating $1M to support youth in Mississippi Mills from the proceeds of the land sale. Read Mayor Lowry’s full remarks here.
Jane Torrance has spent the last three decades demonstrating her commitment to the well-being of Mississippi Mills and its residents through her countless contributions to community organizations and projects. Having worn many hats over the years, she has been described as a “leader,” “Puppets Up! Mastermind,” “tireless volunteer,” and “community cheerleader”; not to mention Councillor, advocate, and bagpipe enthusiast extraordinaire can be added to the list. Read Mayor Lowry’s full remarks here.
Described as a tireless community advocate and a bold and compelling leader, Sherryl Smith is driven by her desire to help people. As a trained nurse, she was a practitioner, educator, policy maker and builder of networks designed to facilitate access to resources. In 2015 she co-founded Bridging Generations, an organization whose goal is to advocate for Pakenham to become an age-friendly community. Read Mayor Lowry’s full remarks here.
Nominations for the 2023 Mississippi Mills Community Awards will open in January and includes five categories: Outstanding Senior, Exceptional Volunteer, Inspiring Youth, Community Builder and the Key to the Municipality. For more information, visit: https://www.mississippimills.ca/en/municipal-hall/mississippi-mills-community-awards.aspx.
Or contact: Shannon Gutoskie, Mississippi Mills Communications Coordinator, 613-256-2064 ext. 208, sgutoskie@mississippimills.ca.
