Heroes are everywhere and its time once again to give them the recognition they deserve.
The Campbell River Mirror and Mowi Local Hero Awards 2020 returns for its third year and we’re calling for nominations once again. For the past two years, Local Hero Awards has recognized outstanding individuals for doing amazing deeds.
Take this opportunity to recognize those who have made valuable contributions in 15 categories ranging from health care to arts leadership and from youth to environmental leadership and more.
We’ve added two new categories this year: Animal Advocate, someone who had a direct impact on the well-being of animals through their leadership, and Mental Health Advocate, a community-minded individual who is an advocate for those suffering from mental health issues.
In year one, animal advocate Nikki Watts received the most votes of anyone for her efforts on behalf of our furred friends which started during a period after the SPCA closed more than five years ago and before it re-opened and included efforts such as Lost and Found Animals and the Campbell River Partners for Animal Welfare Society. Watts was also named Hero of the Year.
Last year, a young polar bear swimmer showed true community spirit by plunging into the cold ocean each day last winter to support two local community groups.
Sylas Thompson, 11, raised more than $37,000 for two local groups that support people struggling with poverty, the Women’s Resource Centre and Grassroots Kind Hearts.
His campaign began on Feb. 1, when he pledged to swim everyday in the ocean until he’d gathered $30,000 in donations. He ultimately surpassed that goal by a long shot. His polar bear swims continued for 36 consecutive days amid low temperatures that broke records stretching back to 1958.
Amazing people doing amazing things! Who will be this year’s heroes in each category? We can’t wait to find out.
You can get involved in this process by nominating someone in all 15 categories. To do so, just visit hero.campbellrivermirror.com and fill in the fields for each category under the “Submit a Nomination” button.
The deadline for 2020 nominations is March 1, 2020 and the nomination period is now open!
A panel of Community Partners will review the nominations and decide the winner of each category. Of course, all who are nominated are winners in our books and our community is a winner for having these wonderful people in our midst.
We’re thankful also, for title sponsor Mowi joining the Campbell River Mirror in supporting Local Hero Awards 2020 as well as all of the other sponsors.