The Ontario Volunteer Service Awards may not come with the glitz and glamour of a red carpet or Hollywood host, but you would be hard-pressed to find a ceremony more meaningful.
The Awards celebrate the commitment and outstanding contributions of citizen volunteers from across the province. Award recipients are nominated by the organizations they serve. More than six million Ontarians volunteer each year, contributing more than 860 million annual volunteer hours, equivalent to about 450,000 full-time jobs. None of these volunteers receive payment for their efforts.
This June, two Toronto Foundation for Student Success volunteers, Carolyn Griffis and Gorick Ng, will be honored for their exceptional service.
Carolyn Griffis, a member of the Toronto Real Estate Board and the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, will be awarded for her work with The Breakfast Program for Kids, a program she herself established back in 2007.
Carolyn has since organized over 180 realtors to cook and serve meals to over 2400 children each day. Carolyn and her fellow representatives also support the Breakfast Program financially. In June 2008, the Toronto Real Estate Board contributed $50,000 to the Breakfast Program and continues to show support in helping the children of Toronto.
Gorick Ng himself once depended on a free lunch program in high school. He has now found a way to give back, and then some. Gorick has helped transform and expand the meal program he once relied upon, earning him recognition as one of Canada’s top teen philanthropists by financial company, Mackenzie Investments.
As a young grade-9 student, Gorick discovered that it was the Toronto Foundation for Student Success that was responsible for his free lunches. He immediately contacted the charity and soon thereafter became a student ambassador. Gorick has since helped to further develop the Foundation’s fundraising and outreach programs, and he has remained a vital representative.
For their dedication, selfless efforts, and inspiration, the TFSS would like to congratulate both Carolyn Griffis and Gorick Ng for this well-deserved honor.
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