‘Together we can do so much’ at the 2017 CHKC Award Luncheon
March 14, 2017 by City Events
Filed under Featured Events, Ontario, Past Events, Toronto
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. – Helen Keller
This year, The Honourable Dr. Helena Jaczek, Minister of Community and Social Services and MPP for Oak Ridges-Markham will receive the 13th Annual Canadian Helen Keller Centre Award at the April 5th luncheon at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Minister Jaczek has been chosen for this due to her enduring help and dedication to the betterment of the community.
This year also falls on an important milestone for deafblind communication. On April 5th, 1887, Helen Keller was finally able to understand that everything has a name. When her teacher, whom later became her life-long companion, Anne Sullivan spelled ‘water’ into the hand of the young girls he life began to take shape. Helen Keller later went on to become the first deafblind person to earn a degree, she graduated with honours from Radcliffe College in 1904.
To help raise money to support the important services that CHKC provides free of charge to its clients, each year an annual luncheon is planned to help raise funds and awareness and to also recognize those who have supported the deaf-blind community and their families.
Special guest speaker at this year’s event is Gail Asper O.C., O.M., LL.D., President of The Asper Foundation and sitting Board Member of The Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg Manitoba. Ms. Asper currently is currently the Chair of the Board of the National Arts Centre Foundation, is a member of the Board of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and is a Governor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
As of July 2001, the doors opened to Canadas first and only residential training centre for persons with vision, hearing, and combined vision hearing impairment, The Canadian Helen Keller Centre is a place for the deaf-blind community to go for affordable housing, access to services, and training to live independently.
CHKC has been giving the award since 2005, past winners include York University; George Brown College: Canadian National Institute for the Blind; The Honourable David C. Onley; IBM Canada; The Honourable Vim Kochhar; ICICI Bank Canada; Microsoft Canada; Reverand Robert L. Rumball; Jim Sanders; and Joan McTavish.
Written by: Paula McDines