The Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Spirit Awards presentation hosted by Joe Pillitteri took over the event centre at Ravine Vineyard recently.
Laurie Harley, who headed up the creation of the NOTL Ambassadors program, took the honours as the winner of the Lord Mayor’s Award of Excellence as Citizen of the Year.
Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa was unable to attend the ceremony as it conflicted with a council meeting. In a recorded speech, he lauded Harley for the countless hours she has spent volunteering in leadership roles with the Shaw Festival, the NOTL Museum, and as a founder of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Ambassadors program.
The first award of the evening for Business of the Year went to Vintage Hotels. In his speech, CEO Bob Jackson reminisced about a conversation he had once had with owner Jimmy Lai, who is currently being held in custody indefinitely by the Chinese government.
“We’re very lucky to work for a man like that,” said Jackson, accepting the award on behalf of the organization’s 2,000 employes, “and more importantly to know a man like that. He’s always in our thoughts and we ask that you keep him in yours.”
Later that evening, Paul MacIntyre, Vintage Hotels vice president of operations, was the recipient of the Chamber of Commerce Award, which goes to a business, group or individual who has demonstrated support and continuous hard work to the improvement of Niagara-on-the-Lake while impacting the community positively and inclusively.
MacIntyre has served as a board director for Red Roof Retreat and the Green Belt Tourism Strategy Committee and is a past chair of the NOTL Chamber of Commerce.
Niagara College president Sean Kennedy presented the Dan Patterson Youth Leadership Award to 18-year-old St. Davids resident Michaiah Ivri.
Kennedy called Ivri “a role model not only for youth, but for all of us. She continues to inspire through her volunteerism, advocacy, coaching and, truly, simply by being herself.”
“I wasn’t expecting to get anything,” says Ivri. “I was very appreciative of being nominated. When they (Kennedy) started describing the volunteering things that I had done, and realized it was me, I was shocked and excited.”
Ivrie was the chair of the Lord Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee and a past president of the St David’s Leo’s Club. She is also a member of the Leadership by Design Program, a runner-up in the NOTL Museum’s Chloe Cooley Commemoration Project, and the founder of the Roots Club at her school, A.N. Myer Secondary in Niagara Falls.
Rob and Danielle Begin, who converted an old St. Davids barn originally owned by the Fedorkow Family into the Grist Craft Kitchen and Brewery, were named the 2023 recipient of the Celia Liu Award for Excellence in Hospitality and Tourism.
“There are so many other people and businesses that are probably more deserving of this than Danielle and I,” said a humble, emotional and clearly uncomfortable Rob. “I’m so appreciative, not for the award and the praise, but for the validation in the purpose, and humble to be included in the mix with all you spirited entrepreneurs who understand the difficult sacrifice that most wouldn’t understand.”
NOTL Museum managing director and curator Sarah Kaufman couldn’t hide her tears while accepting her Community Leadership Award. Kaufman’s tears flowed hardest when she began to thank her museum team of Shauna Butts, Amy Klassen and Barbara Worthy.
“The whole reason our organization succeeds is because these women work tirelessly to promote the community and the heritage,” said Kaufman. “We do over 100 active programs every year that try to engage everyone. I’m just the person who gets to lead the organization.”
Karrie Galvin of the Niagara Juice Company received the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, designed ro recognize creative and innovative new ventures. A relative newcomer to town, Galvin opened as a one-woman shop two years ago with the pandemic still presenting its challenges.
“The community has been everwhelmingly supportive,” said an effervescent Galvin. “Every day, you arrive, you get your croissants, your juice, you’re so happy to be there and I’m so happy to see you, especially in January when things are really slow. I always say thank goodness for the locals.”
The Christopher Newton Award for Arts and Culture went to Yellow Door Theatre Project’s founder and artistic producer Andorlie Hillstrom, who could not attend the presentation because she was in Belgium meeting her new grandson for the first time.
Said presenter Pragna Desai of the Shaw Festival, Hillstrom “has been pouring her energy into youth and the performing arts for decades. When she moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake, she recognized how the Shaw Festival’s presence could benefit the youth of today and help build the arts community of tomorrow. Following on her previous work and vision, she started a brand new organization in 2015 dedicated towards this goal.”
Shaw’s executive director Tim Jennings took home the Peter Ling Award for Business Leadership for the impact his commitment to improving the working conditions of artist has had on the community.
The awards were rounded out by Matthias Oppenlaender accepting the Outstanding Achievement in Agriculture Award for Huebel Farms.
Oppenlander recalled receiving a telephone call 40 years ago from Herbert Konzelmann inviting him to come to Canada.
“I didn’t know Canada could even grow grapes,” said Oppenlander, a former Grape King and chair of the Grape Growers of Ontario. “We embraced the challenge. It was tough, but there were a lot of people who believed in me. This award is so humbling.”