Canadian Disability Awards
December 11, 2014 by City Events
Filed under Past Events, Uncategorized
Canadian Disabilty Hall of Fame
For the last few years, CityEvents had the pleasure of assisting The Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons (CFPDP) in the planning of the annual Canadian Disability Awards. The awards ceremony honours outstanding Canadians who make a difference for people with physical disabilities.
The 21st induction ceremony was held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, in the Concert Hall on November 3, 2014. Four new members were welcomed into the fold of Canadian Disability Hall of Fame by David Crombie, Chair, and Honourable Vim Kochhar, CFPDP Chair.
The event started with a reception, where people came to register and by dropping off their business card had the chance to enter the draw for some great door prizes. It was a busy reception as people had the chance to talk to each other and reconnect. The reception hall was crowded with over 400 people, all excited about the upcoming award ceremony. At 12:30 people were seated and the ceremony started. Maureen Sabia, Chairman, Canadian Tire Corp was keynote speaker and she opened the presentation by outlining some of the great achievements of the winners.
Sudarshan Gautam received the first award as an Achiever. He is the first armless person to climb the summit of Mount Everest without the use of prosthetics. Another winner, Mark Wafer is a Tim Hortons franchisee who was recognized as a Builder. He has hired nearly 100 people with disabilities in competitively paid positions and moreover developed an influential case for inclusive hiring practices. Elisabeth Walker-Young was recently named Team Canada’s Chef de Mission for the 2015 Parapan American Games in Toronto. She received the award as an Achiever. Elisabeth swam four-times as a Paralympic swimmer and is a multi-medalist. Chris Williamson is an athlete as well and he is one of the world’s most decorated para-alpine racers. He received the Athlete award this year.
Sabia underlined that these individuals have been selected because of the difference they have made for people with disabilities
To see some of the photos from the event visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cityeventstoronto/sets/72157647026289264/
