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Violet Richardson Award 2021 – Aishwarya Heran: the 1st Place Recipient
Aishwarya HeranPrince of Wales Secondary SchoolViolet Richardson Award (2021) Recipient Thank you so much, Soroptimist International of Vancouver, for the Violet Richardson Award! It is an honour to receive this recognition from an organization which aims to support and uplift girls through education and social development. My volunteer roles include being the co-president of the Prince of Wales Secondary School Feminism Club, and co-founding an organization called the Daily Feminist. Through my school’s feminism club, I have been able to connect to my school community in a meaningful way and make positive change. The Daily Feminist provides young students with workshops about feminism in hopes to remove the misconceptions surrounding…
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Violet Richardson Award 2021 – Rachel Dong: the 2nd Place Recipient
Rachel DongEric Hamber Secondary SchoolViolet Richardson Award (2021) Recipient My name is Rachel and I’m a grade 11 student at Eric Hamber. I volunteer with Ocean Wise, raising awareness and promoting the importance of ocean conservation through various service projects. I am also the president of Kitchen on a Mission, a youth organization which collects unsellable, end-of-day baked goods from bakeries to donate to people in need. Through these platforms, I will continue to advocate for the environment and support marginalized populations. I am incredibly honoured to be one of the recipients of the 2021 Violet Richardson Award. I would like to thank the people who have mentored and supported…
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Violet Richardson Award 2021 – Isabel Huang: the 3rd Place Recipient
Isabel HuangPrince of Wales Secondary SchoolViolet Richardson Award (2021) Recipient I would like to thank Soroptimist International of Vancouver for the Violet Richardson Award. As the President of Dare to Care at my school, I help raise awareness and funds for youth experiencing homelessness in Vancouver. I am also the Founder and Chair of the Youth-to-Youth Wellness Initiative, where I organize webinars with licensed health professionals for youth aged 13-17 to learn about mental health. Through these initiatives, I have been able to devote my time to something I’m passionate about: helping youth in need. Being a recipient of the Violet Richardson Award has given me the confidence to continue…
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Violet Richardson Award 2021 – Riea Singh: the 3rd Place Recipient
Riea SinghJohn Oliver Secondary SchoolViolet Richardson Award (2021) Recipient My name is Riea Singh, and I am incredibly grateful for being awarded Third Place for the Violet Richardson Award from Soroptimist International of Vancouver. I am pleased to be one of four diligent young women to have the honor of representing this award for empowering girls and helping our communities. I am the President and Founder of ‘Because the Youth Cares’ – an awareness organization aimed to educate youth about social injustices by offering free academic resources. With one of the 40 global organizations we network with, we are able to offer books and clothing to around 100 young girls…
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Results of Helen McCrae Award 2021
The Helen McCrae Award supports students to achieve their educational & career goals in nursing. Helen McCrae was a former Dean of Women at the University of British Columbia who was a strong advocate for women’s education and nursing in particular. This year we received 37 exceptional applications and the committee has now awarded five Helen McCrae Awards. The awards range from $1500 to $2000. We want to recognize all of the applicants for their exceptional applications. Today, more than ever, we wish these future nurses well in their professional lives. We invite the community to support our fundraising campaign so we can continue giving out awards in the years…
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Helen McCrae Award 2021 – Victoria Alfred from BCIT
Victoria is a member of ‘Namgis First Nations Band. She is a peer support mentor with the BCIT Indigenous Services. Her background as a paramedic has prepared her for the journey patients have into the health care system. Victoria’s ultimate goal is to return to her home community of Alert Bay and provide much needed health coverage, mentorship and leadership in the community for the indigenous youth of the Band.
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Helen McCrae Award 2021 – Insha J from BCIT
Insha has always volunteered – especially with women and young girls who are new to Canada and who share similar past experiences. She is a previous recipient of the Queen Venture Award by the Lieutenant Governor of BC. She plans to continue her nursing education and become a Nurse Practitioner with a focus on Women’s Health. Insha also has a strong interest in research – particularly in the disparities related to women’s health.
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Helen McCrae Award 2021 – Madison Moffat from Langara College
The early onset of an autoimmune disorder has shaped who Madison is today. Her many encounters with the health care system as a child and as a young adult encouraged her to seek nursing as a career. She has been a long term member of the Youth Advocacy Committee at BC Children’s Hospital. Madison’s career aspiration is to work in paediatrics at BC Children’s alongside some of her childhood hero’s and pay the care and empathy she received as a young child forward. Of interest – her mother was a previous winner of one of Soroptimist International of Vancouver’s Women’s Opportunity Award (now is known as Live Your Dream Award).
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Helen McCrae Award 2021 – Arica Hsu from Langara College
As an immigrant and trans woman of color, Arica’s lived experiences have given her insight in how the education and healthcare systems (including the healthcare professionals it produces) can be improved to better help, support, and protect people like herself. In addition to volunteering for various social and advocacy committees, she provides support for the homeless community in Vancouver. Arica’s career goal is to decrease barriers that prevent queer and other under represented people from accessing culturally safe care and succeeding in society.
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Live Your Dream Award 2021 – Verukah Poirier, the 1st Place Recipient
Verukah PoirierLive Your Dream Award (2021) 1st Place Recipient We’re proud to name Verukah as our 1st place Live Your Dream winner. Our LYD winner spent her early years of childhood with her indigenous (Kookum) grandmother however was later placed in the child welfare system spent most of her childhood as a youth in care. She has survived the child welfare system however it left her without family or supports until she aged out of the system. In 2019 she became a single mother to a beautiful daughter named Avery who is currently watching her mother attend UBC as a 1st year law student after finishing her bachelor degree in…