Yorktown Family Services 2019/20 Award Recipients

Every year, at our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Recognition Night, Yorktown Family Services honours exceptional work of Staff and Volunteers, and celebrates the achievements of inspiring clients through various awards and grant opportunities. On February 24th, 2021, we announced the recipients of the 2019/20 awards at our AGM. As part of International Woman’s Day, we would like to celebrate by announcing the winners below, an outstanding group of women!

Eleanor Stein Memorial Woman Award

The Eleanor Stein Memorial Woman Award was created in memory of our founding Executive Director Karen Engel’s mother, Eleanor Stein, who passed away in 2010.  The award celebrates Eleanor Stein’s interest in supporting women in moving on from abuse and creating positive opportunities for themselves. The award recipients also receive a grant of $300 to go towards transitional expenses such as returning to school, updating credentials or furthering a career goal.

This year’s recipient of the award is Tasneem Rahman, who was nominated by Ronit Kasimov, Yorktown’s Violence Against Women  Transitional Support Worker. According to Ronit, “No matter what adversity she has faced, it has not stopped Tasneem from making plans for her life and moving forward. She is a remarkable woman and a dedicated mother.”

The grant will allow Tasneem to focus on running her small business in the beauty industry and in supporting her young daughter. Congratulations Tasneem!

To learn more about our Transitional Support Program you can visit our website here or contact Ronit directly at 416-394-2950 Ext: 236.

Linda Sumner Youth Development Fund

The Linda Sumner Youth Development Fund was initiated when our former Director of Service, Linda Sumner, retired after dedicating 16 years to Yorktown. To honour her passion for youth and their needs, the award was developed as a grant opportunity to support youth, ages 13-24, to help them achieve their goals of personal development in areas such as education, creative exploration, and healthy lifestyle.

This year, Ikeisha Williams is the deserving recipient of the $300 grant, which she will use for expenses for school.

Ikeisha, was a bystander in a traumatic incident of gun violence and received supports through Yorktown’s Youth Outreach (YOW) Program. Nominated by Robyn Howlett, who was Team Lead for the YOWs, says, “Ikeisha has shown herself to be incredibly strong, caring and committed with many opportunities ahead of her!”

Ikeisha is now working towards her college diploma at George Brown and looking forward to a brighter future with her daughter.

To learn more about our Youth Outreach Worker program, visit our website here or contact Abokar Mohammed – Manager West Toronto Youth Outreach Worker Network, at abokarm@yorktownfamilyservices.com.

Spirit of Giving Award:

The Spirit of Giving Award is presented to an exceptional individual every year who demonstrates the spirit of volunteerism and champions the work that we do at Yorktown. Recipients are volunteers, advocates and contributors that show a high level of commitment and reliability, and who demonstrate the values and vision of the agency.

We would like to congratulate Danielle Bouchillon, a volunteer mentor in our Youth Mentorship Program, for being the recipient of this award for 2019/2020. Danielle has dedicated many volunteer hours on a weekly basis in supporting the Youth Mentorship program in different capacities including group facilitation, program planning, and one to one youth engagement. Danielle genuinely cares for the youth in the program and is volunteering because she is passionate about making positive changes in the community. She goes above and beyond to support Yorktown and the youth we serve.

On behalf of Yorktown, and the youth you have impacted through your volunteerism, a heartfelt thank you, Danielle!

To learn more about the Youth Mentorship Program and how to become a Mentor, please visit our website here, or contact Naomi Baptiste – Youth Mentorship Program Coordinator, at 647-242-8412 or by email at naomib@yorktownfamilyservices.com.

The Karen Hutchinson Memorial Award of Excellence

The Karen Hutchinson Memorial Award of Excellence is named after a dear, late colleague and valued team member of the Women and Communities Against Violence Program.  Karen was an exemplary staff who dedicated herself to improving the lives of women impacted by violence.

The 2019/20 Karen Hutchinson Memorial Award is presented to Britney Bempong, Counsellor at the Violence Against Women Services Shelter Program.

Britney was nominated for the award by Gabbey Dessye, Manager of Shelter Client Services for Yorktown’s Violence Against Women Services team. According to Britney’s peers, she is “a consummate professional and an excellent co-worker, who is always ready to assist, and collaborate.” Britney is described as “kind and approachable when connecting with women and children alike. She develops positive relationships with her clients, engaging with them in a professional and respectful manner, using her skills and knowledge to support women to achieve their goals.” Britney is a valuable member of the Violence Against Women Services team.

To learn more about our shelter services, please visit our website here or contact 416-394-2950.