The County of Simcoe honoured residents, businesses, and organizations during the 2016 Newcomer Recognition Awards on Oct. 20.
Among this year’s winners is Milan Kroupa, owner of Edenvale Aerodrome.
The awards ceremony, in its fourth year, recognizes community leaders and champions who purposefully take action to enhance the lives of newcomers in Simcoe County.
“Many of our newcomers face challenges when they arrive to our region and the Newcomer Recognition Awards is a great way to recognize individuals who help make this transition easier,” said Warden Gerry Marshall. “We continue to invest in programs that support newcomers, including the creation and launch of an immigration website, a Library Link project, and ongoing support of the Employment Ontario network to help immigrants find work in Simcoe County.”
Award recipients were nominated by their peers in seven categories through an open nomination process. Nomination forms were reviewed by the Simcoe County Newcomer Recognition Awards Steering Committee. This year the awards saw a 150 per cent increase in the number of nominations.
Photo: The County of Simcoe honoured community champions during the 2016 Newcomer Recognition Awards held at Tangle Creek Golf and Country Club. (Left to right): Alba Aray (Multiculturalism through Education-School, St. Angela Merici Catholic School –teacher), Elizabeth Hernandez (Multiculturalism through Education-School, St. Angela Merici Catholic School – DECE), Brandy Cericola (Multiculturalism through Education-Educator), Crystal McFadden (Culturally Diverse Workforce/Welcoming Work Environment – Image Dental Laboratory Ltd.), Kerrie McGowan (Culturally Diverse Workforce/Welcoming Work Environment – Image Dental Laboratory Ltd.), Milan Kroupa Jr. (Immigrant Entrepreneur), Yukiya Sasagawa (Immigrant Youth), Jianwei Wu (Immigrant Artist), Ruth McDonald (Community Champion), Jennifer Armstrong-Lehman (Community Champion), and Ziad Al Moussawi (Immigrant Mentor).