Twenty Nova Scotians recognized with 2021 Dr. Robert Strang Community Hero Award

This week, several Nova Scotians are being recognized for going the extra mile during the pandemic.  

Twenty people within the province will be receiving the Dr. Robert Strang Community Hero Award.

The award, named to honour the province's chief medical officer, is given to Nova Scotians who have worked hard during the pandemic to keep fellow citizens happy and healthy, whether by raising spirits or raising funds.

Winners were chosen by a committee after receiving 179 applications. This year each winner receives one of Dr. Strang's neckties in a glass frame.

Anni Isenor is a hair stylist and a neighbour to a local nursing home, Northwood Halifax. She's also one of this year's award recipients.

"I was speechless," said Isenor, when it came to receiving the award. "It wasn't anything I anticipated when I decided to start this."

Way back at the start of the pandemic, Isenor started a Facebook group called Noise for Northwood. Isenor said the idea came to her after the mass shooting in Portapique N.S. which took the lives of 22 people the night of April 18, 2020.

"I had a family member that was the first responder that day and I was devastated," said Isenor. "I just felt really helpless."

Isenor said although she was unable to help the community of Truro and Enfield, she could do something to help her own community of Halifax.

"I just felt that Northwood was getting a real raw deal. Those people were going in there risking their lives terrified and I just couldn't help but try to figure something out."

The group started out as a way to appreciate the people and workers of Northwood, asking people to get out of their house to make as much noise as possible to show the people inside Northwood that the city cared about them.

"I felt that making noise, as much noise as we could at a shift change every weekend, could make them feel a bit better but little did I know it made a huge impact. There were people that were crying."

Eventually, Isenor was able to organize rallies, antique car shows and other special events to show support and boost morale for people living in Northwood.

"I did ridiculous stuff. I dressed up as a black and white clown and nobody could tell who I was," said Isenor, thinking back on one of the times she tried to entertain the residents.

Isenor said she's touched to receive the award but for her, it was about helping people and also in a small way helping herself.

She said Noise for Northwood helped take away some of the pain from the Portapique shootings and made her feel like she was making a difference.

Isenor said the Facebook page will remain up as a resource for people to use in the future.

"I felt that I was helping them and that's what I wanted to do."

Matt Spurway, Dartmouth

Matt Spurway, who has over 20 years of experience in the not-for-profit sectors, also wanted to help people this past year too, but he did it a bit differently than Isenor.

Spurway and other community organizers noticed near the start of the pandemic that a lot of people in Halifax did not have access to home internet — which wasn't good, considering the amount of services that switched to online after the first lockdown.

"We realized immediately that the lack of internet access and [lack of] devices is a huge barrier," said Spurway.

He started the GEO Project, which stands for Get Everyone Online. Spurway was able to help hundreds of people gain internet access, which is why he's being honoured with Strang's award. 

"The most vulnerable people in our communities often can't afford to go online so we took that concern and worked with partners in the community, found a few dollars and began to hook people up."

Spurway said GEO is a network of volunteers and non-profit organizations. He said through working with community partners, and forming relationships with local internet service providers, people needing internet are able to get a referral from GEO. Once they get a referral they can get home internet services at no cost at all to them.

Spurway said he expects to have over 400 households connected to the internet within the next six weeks.

He said not being able to afford the internet was already a problem for many people in the community, but it was exacerbated by the pandemic. 

"Meeting with your doctor, buying groceries or even seeing family and friends is online, so the digital divide is getting wider everyday, so we all need to pitch in to make sure every Nova Scotian is connected."

Through GEO, Spurway has also helped do digital literacy training, helping to ensure that vulnerable people and their families were not excluded from online education, communication and connecting with others.

Spurway said he's pleased to receive the award because it might give GEO an opportunity to spread the word and share their service with more people.

"Many hands make light work. It's a huge coalition. A great network. A growing movement."

Rebeccah Raphael, Halifax

For Rebecca Raphael, non-profit founder and published researcher, winning the Dr. Robert Strang Community Hero Award came as a surprise.

"It was a bit of a shocker. I didn't know I was nominated."

Raphael's mother nominated her for starting her very own non-profit organization during the pandemic.

Raphael's organization, called The Halifax Helpers, is a free online virtual tutoring platform. Similar to the old school program Book Buddies, the Halifax Helpers help young people who need support and encouragement in maintaining and improving their reading skills.

"I was feeling pretty removed from my community, and I wanted to find a way to give back and rejoin everyone together," she said.

The Halifax Helpers provide English second language training as well as subject-specific support (such as math, science or history) for young people, ranging from Primary all the way to Grade 12. 

"It was by chance that I stumbled upon it. I found something similar in Calgary, and I thought, Why not bring something here?"

Raphael said she's been able to form an amazing team and said it's rewarding to be surrounded by the people she works with. 

"We get a lot of feedback from the kids," said Raphael. "They really find that the services are helping and helping to become more fearless learners."

She said working with community partners and developing new ways to tutor is extremely rewarding.

Raphael started off with just ten volunteers coming together, and has since grown to over 50 across Canada and runs over 75 weekly tutoring sessions. She was also awarded the 147th Point of Light Award for the "exceptional contribution to the education of young people" awarded to her by Queen Elizabeth II.

The other winners of the award are as followed:

• Mathew Benvie, Halifax: Benvie of Evolve Fitness used virtual workouts to fundraise over $80,000 in support of local businesses that were struggling during the lockdown. 

• Patricia Bishop, Port Williams: Since March 2020, Taproot Farms has helped to address food insecurity during the pandemic by providing food boxes to individuals and families in Port Williams and surrounding communities. 

• Crystal Blair, Debert: Blair kept Glenholme Loop Petro Pass open to provide free meals, hot showers and a safe resting place for truck drivers who had nowhere else to stop.

• Lisa Bond, North Sydney: Bond started an initiative at  T.L. Sullivan Middle School called Caring Closet, which provides students with free lunches and supplies. She also delivered food, clothing and necessities to children and families in need in her community.

• Dr. Barry Clarke, Halifax: Clarke was the medical director of Northwood during the facility's COVID-19 outbreak. He coordinated the facility's response and sourced essential medical supplies.

• Jan Coates, Wolfville: Coates produced 3,700 cloth masks, between April and September 2020, calling on friends to donate material and elastic. Selling the masks, she was able to raise $18,000 for local charities, including food banks and school backpack and breakfast programs.

• Kevin Patrick Del Val, Stellarton: Del Val is an essential worker, who has worked long hours during the pandemic, cooking meals and serving residents in long-term care. Recognizing that the seniors where he worked were unable to gather for church services, he began live-streaming and recording the services at various churches in his community, editing and producing videos that were shared with residents in long-term care.

• Wayne Ettinger, Kempt Shore: Ettinger went beyond the role of custodian at L.E. Shaw Elementary School in Avonport, helping students create art and teaching them new things, including sign language, to the Pre-Primary class. 

• Loukman Ghouti, Halifax: Pre-med student Loukman Ghouti created "Teach It!" after hearing from a student he was mentoring, who was finding it difficult to get help with her studies. The free, Zoom-based tutoring program sees Dalhousie University students tutoring children and youth. 

• Michael Hatt, Port Hawkesbury: Pharmacist Michael Hatt purchased a retired ambulance and converted it to a mobile vaccination clinic that he drives to rural communities to administer flu shots — and currently COVID-19 vaccinations — for seniors and people with mobility issues. 

• Vince Landry, Dartmouth: In March 2020, Landry began drawing images on the sidewalks near his home, initially focusing on houses where young children lived, who he knew were spending long days at home due to school closures. His drawing route quickly expanded to include multiple houses on several streets. His art kept the people in his community, and passersby, smiling and positive during a difficult time.

• Mary Janet MacDonald, Port Hood: Every Sunday afternoon throughout the pandemic, MacDonald has been live-streaming her recipes, songs and conversations with more than 50,000 followers, helping boost morale for those stuck at home and missing loved ones. Her show often features live music from Cape Breton performers.

• Richard Martell, Falmouth: As Nova Scotia's main sign language interpreter, Martell has been a calm and consistent presence during media briefings about the pandemic. No matter how bad the news, he communicates it with poise and enthusiasm, making sure all Nova Scotians understand the message. 

• Lawrence Shebib, North Sydney: Shebib is being recognized for his leadership with the North Sydney Food Bank. During the pandemic, he adjusted how the food bank operates, ensuring volunteers could work and people could safely access essential supplies during uncertain times. Under Shebib's guidance, the food bank has moved to a new location.

• Georgia Skinner, Halifax: From April to June 2020, Skinner joined the front lines at Northwood, serving as a long-term care aide and personal support worker for ill residents during the height of the outbreak. 

• Athanasius Sylliboy, Eskasoni: Sylliboy would spend his evenings making self-isolation packages and developing COVID-19 information, including educational videos, posters and other materials, in both English and Mi'kmaw, to disperse across Mi'kmaw communities. He also helped develop a COVID-19 community hotline providing education on COVID-19.

• Susan Wright, Ellershouse: She fundraised to save her local community hall and started a team to prepare and deliver 100 take-out dinners each month to seniors, supporting those isolated and in need. Her fundraising also helped a local food bank that serves over 300 local families. Currently, Wright is helping seniors book and travel to their vaccination appointments.