Four Vancouver Island residents have been awarded the 2023 Medal of Good Citizenship, including a community leader in Saanich, a now-deceased champion of food security from Nanaimo, a dedicated volunteer in the Cowichan Valley and the founder of the Power to Be organization.
The medal, awarded to 21 people across B.C., recognizes generosity, service and acts of selflessness, and is second only to the Order of B.C. in terms of provincial recognition.
Saanich’s Parminder Virk is described in her recipient biography as “a cultural ambassador and community builder.”
She co-ordinates the Outreach Bridging program with Island Community Mental Health, and leads the non-profit Punjabi Cultural Community Association of Victoria — which helps other community groups like the Victoria Rainbow Kitchen Society and Our Place Society.
Virk has also taught children to speak and write Punjabi for over 20 years and is vice-president of the India Canada Cultural Association.
Nanaimo’s Craig Evans, who died in March 2023, is being honoured as a “dedicated advocate for community food systems and local food security on Vancouver Island” who spent more than 40 years focused on those areas.
He founded the Nanaimo Community Gardens and Nanaimo Foodshare Society in 1987, and co-founded the Growing Opportunities Farm Community Co-operative in 2019. The latter brings in hundreds of pounds of food each year, much if it distributed to people in need in Nanaimo.
Rhoda Taylor of Duncan has spent 30 years as an executive board member of Volunteer Cowichan, helps sponsor refugees with the Cowichan Intercultural Society and raises funds to help families get settled in the area.
Tim Cormode of Victoria founded Power to Be, now in its 25th year, which aims to provide access to nature for people with a variety of challenges, including cognitive, physical and social barriers, benefiting more than 11,000 youth and families over the years.
Cormode has also helped other charitable groups through the Power to Give Foundation, established six years ago.
Medal presentations will be hosted at ceremonies around the province early this year.
Nominations for the 2024 medal must be received by April 5, with details at gov.bc.ca/medalofgoodcitizenship.
