Veran Horsford
Darrell Murphy Award – Attendant of the Year
Veran has made a significant contribution to SCI Ontario in her two years. Her commitment and dedication to professional ethics and practices have been recognized by our clients.Veran is keen on supporting the onboarding of new clients and believes in the philosophy of client-centered services. Veran is proactive in working with the clients and supervisory team to ensure that people’s best interests are being met.
One of our clients said; “Veran is very hard working and dedicated to being prompt, efficient and pleasant and makes my mornings a joy. I appreciate Veran’s positive attitude.”
It is a pleasure to have such a committed dedicated individual as a part of our community.
Nigel Gilby
Ken Langford Lifetime Member Award (Individual)
Nigel initially connected with Spinal Cord Injury Ontario because of his work as a personal injury lawyer and working with clients who have sustained spinal cord injuries. He is a past member of our Board of Directors and was involved with organizing the first Wheelchair Relay Challenge in London. He has also been very involved with the Roll & Bowl event, which started in 2011 and is now the main fundraising event in the London region.
Nigel has been the top individual fundraiser of this event for the past six years, raising over $12,000! Through Nigel, Lerners has also been our London area Peer Support program sponsor since 2014, with Nigel personally funding a peer support volunteer dinner at the Sunningdale Golf Club. Nigel takes the time to talk to as many people as possible when attending the events. Nigel has a passion for helping people and giving back to his community. We are honored to have him and his law firm, Lerners, representing the Peer Support Program and engaging in fundraising events in the London region.
Nigel has been the top individual fundraiser of this event for the past six years, raising over $12,000! Through Nigel, Lerners has also been our London area Peer Support program sponsor since 2014, with Nigel personally funding a peer support volunteer dinner at the Sunningdale Golf Club. Nigel takes the time to talk to as many people as possible when attending the events. Nigel has a passion for helping people and giving back to his community. We are honored to have him and his law firm, Lerners, representing the Peer Support Program and engaging in fundraising events in the London region.
Thomson Rogers
JOHN GIBBONS COUNSELL AWARD
In 2016, Thomson Rogers celebrated their 80th Anniversary as a law Firm. They looked back through the years and fondly recalled the many clients and friends who had touched their hearts and inspired them with their courage and perseverance. To honour their clients, Thomson Rogers donated a total of $80,000 to various charities and organization that helped their clients and their families in their journey of recovery.
As part of this initiative, Thomson Rogers invited past clients to share their stories and matched five client stories with the organization that was instrumental in their recovery. We are very thankful to Tina Manousos for speaking so highly about the work we do at Spinal Cord Injury Ontario. As a result of Tina’s description, Spinal Cord Injury Ontario was the recipient of a $30,000 donation from Thomson Rogers!
Many thanks to Thomson Rogers for the creative and generous way they celebrated their 80th Anniversary. We are very grateful! You can see Tina’s video here:
As part of this initiative, Thomson Rogers invited past clients to share their stories and matched five client stories with the organization that was instrumental in their recovery. We are very thankful to Tina Manousos for speaking so highly about the work we do at Spinal Cord Injury Ontario. As a result of Tina’s description, Spinal Cord Injury Ontario was the recipient of a $30,000 donation from Thomson Rogers!
Many thanks to Thomson Rogers for the creative and generous way they celebrated their 80th Anniversary. We are very grateful! You can see Tina’s video here:
Wendy Murphy
Peer Activist Award
Wendy Murphy has been a Peer Activist for two years. For the past year, she had been the lead activist working on standardizing accessible parking across the province, and eliminating accessible parking fraud. She has leveraged her community and has had the support of Spinal Cord Injury Ontario.She has also engaged MPP Gila Martow, who has taken two different Private Member Bills to the legislature supporting Wendy’s work. We look forward to the results of the most recent Bill which just passed 1st reading before the House rose for the summer. Thank you to Wendy for working tirelessly to make a change that ultimately will affect all of us in a positive way. Your unwavering commitment is very much appreciated!
RBC
Employer of the Year Award
In the summer of 2016, the Employment Services team connected with RBC diversity recruiting team member, Hali Farah. RBC was planning a networking event for the recruitment of people with disabilities and Hali was looking to partner with SCI Ontario to have some of our job seekers attend the event. RBC was very accommodating from the start and made every effort to take into account all individual needs of our job seekers. RBC put aside their agenda of positions they “needed to fill” and reviewed our job seekers from the perspective of how their skills and talents would/could fit within the available opportunities at RBC. At the event, our job seekers had the opportunity to meet with hiring managers and HR staff in a supportive environment. What we especially appreciated about the RBC staff was the time they took to really get to know the needs, skills and strengths of our job seekers. They really went the extra mile. The event was a success and in the fall of 2016, RBC hired five of our job seekers!Here is what our job seekers say about the RBC experience;
“The working environment at RBC is very friendly. They not only have an internal team to assist with accessibility and accommodation but they have also hired external assessors to make sure the right accommodation is in place. This was ensured by my manager.”
“All my colleagues, my manager and team leader are really supportive. Accessibility is perfect; whenever there is an issue they try to solve it as soon as possible. They are flexible to my request and, most importantly, they allow me flexibility to work from home which is not the usual policy for contract employees. I can take a break during the work hours whenever I think I need it. The first day of work I met someone regarding my accommodation and they fulfill whatever request I ask. Overall, I am more than happy with my current situation.”
Durham College
Bill Adair Award
We have been so lucky to develop a wonderful partnership with Durham College’s School of Media, Art and Design. This past year we have received assistance with photography, videography, website design, as well as marketing and advertising. Both students and staff have been overwhelmingly supportive. Led by Dean Greg Murphy, the school has managed to match the learning needs of their students with the needs of our organization creating curriculum that has a community benefit. We are truly grateful for the thoughtfulness and the giving spirit of the staff and students.Anonymous Donors
