'A trifecta of recognition'

Meet 2016’s outstanding community members and award winners

April 27, 2016

By J. Latimer

From left: Amy Collier, Adjani Poirier, Rachel Chainey and Rosemarie Schade. | All photos: Concordia University

From hackathon founders to tireless food activists, people in the Concordia community go above and beyond the call of duty, inspiring others with their dedication and heart.

These special people are celebrated annually with three awards that recognize the impact of individual students, staff and faculty: the Concordia Council on Student Life Outstanding Contribution Awards, the LIVE Centre Volunteer Recognition Awards, and the Office of Community Engagement's Engaged Scholar Awards.

Winners for 2016 were feted on Thursday, April 14, at the Loyola Chapel.

“These awards represent a trifecta of recognition about what's good at Concordia,” says Andrew Woodall, dean of students and master of ceremonies at the event.

“And, of course, what's good are the people — the people who dedicate themselves to going above and beyond, to assisting others and to enlarging how we understand academic impact by including community-based activity."

CCSL Outstanding Contribution Awards

The Concordia Council on Student Life (CCSL) honours individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to student life at the university. It could be a professor who mentors students outside of the classroom, a staff member who exceeds the expectations of his or her job or a student whose community involvement enriches campus life.

Chloe Williams

The six winners for 2016 shine in many ways.

Take winner Chloe Williams, for example. She’s an elected Concordia Student Union (CSU) executive who divides her attention between the Hive Café, the Concordia Food Coalition, the Loyola Dish Project and the Library Services Fund Committee, among other organizations. Williams avoids the spotlight and works with boundless energy to improve student life.

As does the winner of the Lifetime of Giving Award, Donald de Guerre, associate professor and chair of the Department of Applied Human Sciences. De Guerre is widely regarded in the professional domain as a cutting-edge thinker and scholar. His pedagogy is unique, experiential and deeply humanistic.

Donald de Guerre

De Guerre never says “no” to a student who needs help with a community project, work-related challenge or personal transformation.

Giving back: Volunteer Recognition Awards

Time is money, as the saying goes, and volunteers give their most valuable resource — hours. The LIVE Centre celebrates the selfless efforts of members of the Concordia community who volunteer their time to improve the world around them.

The five winners for 2016 contribute to a wide cross-section of causes, including Big Brother, Santropol Roulant, animal welfare, autism and gender advocacy.

Mandy Pham

Winner Mandy Pham, for instance, used her talents and knowledge of human resources to develop an employee handbook for Literacy Unlimited.

This document became an important tool for the organization’s staff. Additionally, Pham facilitates a project so that her peers studying human resources can gain meaningful work experience before they graduate.

Pham has volunteered at the Jules Verne Elementary School, Youth4Youth and Venturing Out Beyond Our Cancer (VOBOC).

Engaged Scholar Awards

Each year, the Office of Community Engagement and the Office of the Provost recognize students, faculty members and community partners for their exemplary participation in community-engaged scholarship. The trio of student winners — Amy Collier, Adjani Poirier and Casey Thorne Stainsby — made a documentary play about the history of AIDS Community Care Montreal (ACCM). The outstanding faculty member was longtime community champion Rosemarie Schade.

Read more about the student and faculty winners here.

Rachel Chainey

The community partner winner for 2016 is Le Milieu, a co-operatively run café and art hive located in Montreal's Ville-Marie neighbourhood. Its studio is filled with second-hand art supplies available on a pay-what-you-can basis. Each semester, Le Milieu hosts several Concordia undergraduate and graduate students who gain hands-on experience with therapeutic art making, social inclusion, sustainable food systems and the social economy.

Le Milieu is also a proud member of the Concordia-initiated Art Hives Network.

Le Milieu’s co-founder, Rachel Chainey, currently serves as the network’s coordinator. Thanks to her work promoting the movement, organizing symposiums and sharing her knowledge and skills with others, there are now over 70 art hives worldwide.

Find out more about the CCSL Outstanding Contribution Awards, the LIVE Centre Volunteer Recognition Awards and the Office of Community Engagement's and the Office of the Provost’s Engaged Scholar Awards.