A Chilliwack man known for his fierce dedication to cleaning up local waterways was named one of 25 community achievers for 2018 by the British Columbia Achievement Foundation.
The honour bestowed upon Chris Gadsden announced on Sunday comes just five days after he was was presented with the Andy Rotzetter Memorial Award by the Fraser Valley Illegal Dumping Alliance (FVIDA) and Fraser Riverkeeper for his “exemplary dedication to the stewardship of the Fraser River.”
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Premier John Horgan and Scott McIntyre, Chair of the British Columbia Achievement Foundation, named this year’s recipients of the BC Community Achievement Awards, marking the 15th offering of these awards.
“The dedication and generosity of British Columbians like these make our communities great places to live,” Horgan said in a press release issued March 29. “Thanks to the 2018 recipients for helping build a better British Columbia for us all.”
“We are very proud to be able to honour 25 extraordinary British Columbians whose dedication contributes to the health and well-being of our province,” McIntyre said. “We thank them all for their remarkable contributions as both volunteers and engaged citizens.”
Gadsden is the sole recipient of the award from Chilliwack. See below for the full list.
Gadsden is an avid angler and outdoorsman, and is one of the founders of the Chilliwack-Vedder River Cleanup Society, and a supporter of the FVIDA. In the 14 years he was involved with the society, he helped oversee nearly 27,000 hours of volunteer work removing over 100 tonnes of garbage from the riparian area of the Chilliwack-Vedder River.
Gadsden was honoured with the Andy Rotzetter Memorial Award on March 24 at the 11th Annual Fraser River Cleanup. He’ll next be in action with other volunteers on April 21 at the Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Society’s annual river cleanup, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. meeting at the Great Blue Heron Reserve.
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The recipients of the 2018 awards will be recognized in a formal presentation ceremony at Government House in Victoria on April 25. Each recipient will receive a certificate, and a medallion designed by B.C. artist Robert Davidson, OC.
The British Columbia Achievement Foundation is an independent foundation established and endowed by the province of B.C. to celebrate excellence in the arts, humanities, enterprise and community service. Launched in 2003, the BC Community Achievement Awards were the first initiative of the foundation, followed by the BC Creative Achievement Award for Applied Art and Design, BC’s National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, the BC Creative Achievement Award for First Nations Art, and the BC Indigenous Business Awards.
The recipients of the 2018 awards are:
Kevin Albers, Victoria
Joyce Babula, Gabriola Island
Lolly Bennett, Vancouver
Sukhi Brar, Abbotsford
Margo Dent, Squamish
Chris Gadsden, Chilliwack
Patricia Grue, Stewart
Terri Hanen, Dawson Creek
Shirley Henry, Pemberton
Geraldine Hinton, Victoria
Doug Hopwood, Qualicum Beach
Jag Khosa, Surrey
Jim Lamond, Richmond
Paddy Macleod, West Vancouver
Jo Mitchell, Metchosin
Charles Newton, Granisle
Mary O’Neill, Coquitlam
Jerrilyn Schembri, Tumbler Ridge
Aart Schuurman Hess, Vancouver
Min Sidhu, Vernon
Jeff Swann, Ucluelet
Lisa Tallio, Bella Coola
Kim van der Woerd, West Vancouver
Pete Wise, Coldstream
Andy Yu, Vancouver
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paul.henderson@theprogress.com
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