Georgian College Board of Governors honours three community partners

April 27, 2015

 

Georgian College’s Board of Governors has honoured three community partners for their exemplary contributions to the college.

In a ceremony at the Barrie campus on April 27, Board Chair Chris Gariepy presented the Board of Governors’ Community Partner Award to:

• the County of Simcoe
• Haily MacDonald of Athena’s Sexual Assault Counselling and Advocacy Centre
• “FoodE” – the Food Entrepreneurship Committee comprised of representatives from Bruce, Dufferin, Simcoe, and Grey counties.

The Community Partner Award recognizes noteworthy groups or individuals in the community who have made an exemplary contribution to Georgian College in support of its strategic priorities and in a way that reflects the college’s mission, vision and values.

“Each of these partners has made an extraordinary contribution to the life of the college and to our students and communities,” said Gariepy. “The Board of Governors is grateful to all of them for their generous donations of time and resources. They are making a real difference to the success of Georgian College.”

The County of Simcoe was honoured for working closely with Georgian on numerous projects. Georgian and the county have a long history of working in partnership for the greater good of residents in our region. The county hires a significant number of students and graduates and is a major donor and champion of postsecondary education.

Recent joint projects include offering the Practical Nursing diploma on a part-time basis at the county’s long-term care facility in Penetanguishene. In addition, the county supports the college by participating in special events and opening doors to innovative learning experiences for Georgian graduates.

Haily MacDonald, Community Development Co-ordinator at Athena’s Sexual Assault Counselling and Advocacy Centre, received the award for fostering a safe space on campus for discussion on important social issues, such as sexual violence.

MacDonald has delivered numerous workshops and eight groups of students recently partnered with her on a community service learning project.

The Food Entrepreneurship Committee was honoured for its support of economic development in Central Ontario and for advocating on behalf of aspiring and seasoned local artisan food producers and entrepreneurs.

The committee began as a small group representing local municipalities, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Simcoe and Grey Counties (Georgian is a founding member) and now represents more than 20 organizations.

Through collaboration and goodwill, members of the committee aim to empower, inspire and celebrate the hundreds of entrepreneurs in the region. In partnership with the college, the committee has created numerous successful food entrepreneurship seminars and developed food safety regulatory training held across several campuses.

Numerous other awards were presented at the same ceremony including the Distinguished Alumni Award, given to Captain Seann O’Donoughue, a Marine Technology-Navigation graduate.

O’Donoughue, captain of one of the largest freighters on the Great Lakes, takes a vested interest in teaching and mentoring Georgian cadets in school and when on his ship. He is an influential leader who is a strong advocate of the Great Lakes shipping industry, Georgian’s Marine training and the Marine Emergency Duties Training and Research Centre planned for the Owen Sound campus.

O’Donoughue also teaches part-time in the college’s corporate marine training programs, passing on his vast knowledge and expertise to the industry’s current and future leaders.

Numerous Georgian employees were also honoured with individual and team awards.