A soccer volunteer, dragon boater, heritage advocate and former gallery manager are among six people honoured with Port Moody Civic Awards.
The city recognized their contributions at a volunteer appreciation gala in the galleria at the civic complex on Jan. 11.
“They have spent countless hours helping and inspiring others,” said Mayor Meghan Lahti of the recipients in a news release, adding the awards that are presented every two years “provide us with an opportunity to celebrate some of the talented and hard-working people who bring positive change and help make Port Moody a better place.”
Matthew Campbell, president of the Port Moody Soccer Club, and dragon boater Kate Zubick received the city’s sports award.
During his tenure at PMSC, Campbell has helped membership grow to nearly 2,000 players of all ages, introduced innovative programs like adaptive soccer and spearheaded the realization of the club’s longstanding drive to get improvements to its facilities. Early last year, players were finally able to put years of scabbed knees and elbows behind them when a new turf field was opened at Inlet Park, replacing the old gravel all-weather facility that had fallen into disuse, and construction is expected to begin sometime this spring on a new field house overlooking the pitch.
Zubick, a former teacher at Moody and Eagle Mountain middle schools, has coached the Draggin’ Divas dragon boat team since 2014 and represented Canada at the World Dragon Boat Championships. She’s also worked with paddling programs for breast cancer survivors and visually impaired athletes.
Dianna Brown is the winner of the city’s Heritage Award. She’s volunteered for Port Moody’s old Heritage Commission which is now known as the Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee, and served as a board member for the Port Moody Heritage Society, where she’s currently its vice president. She’s also volunteered for the Ioco Ghost Town Days event and helped promote awareness of local history through heritage stone markers, storyboards and interpretive wraps on utility boxes.
Janice Cotter receives the Arts Award for her work managing the gallery at PoMoArts the past 10 years prior to her departure in 2024. She was also a founding member of the Art Shuffle and curated several exhibits, including the annual Kwi Am Choi Award recipient exhibit, the year-end show for the ceramics artist-in-residence program, the annual Winter Treasures display as well as shows by students, the Tri-City Potters and Indigenous artists.
Jennifer Madoc-Jones wins the Environmental Award. She’s put her expertise in testing water quality that was honed during her career as a chemistry teacher to good use as a volunteer at the Mossom Creek Hatchery since 2015. She participates in salmon habitat restoration and fish tagging projects, as well as fry releases and stream surveys. She’s also on the Burrard Inlet Marine Enhancement Society board.
The Peter Hulbert Accessibility Award goes to Ashley Anderson for her work advocating for accessibility improvements to sidewalks, cubs and snow removal services in Port Moody. She also championed the construction of an accessible entrance to an apartment building in the city and has worked with SPARC BC to improve the signage and painting of accessible parking spaces around Port Moody.
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