Congratulations to two Lakehead students honoured with Mayor's Community Safety Awards

Two Lakehead University students were recently honoured with 2019 Mayor’s Community Safety Awards, presented by Mayor Bill Mauro.  

COMMUNITY HERO

TESSA DEBRUYNE

A Street Outreach Worker for the Shelter House SOS Program, Tessa has excellent credentials – she’s working on a Master of Social Work from Lakehead University - but more than that, she has the power of kindness to build trust and help empower vulnerably housed and homeless clients to find their voices and make changes. Part of a highly skilled and compassionate team, Tessa, in her role as driver, is on the road offering direct care to community members in need and helping move them out of harm’s way. With deep empathy and genuine belief in the power of people, Tessa feels privileged to work with vulnerable people, hear their incredible stories, know them personally, and care for them in ways that allow them to rely on her. As navigator and cheerleader, she works constantly to connect people to resources and services, and invests immeasurable emotional labour into ensuring the most vulnerable people in our community are safe and well.

Sponsor: Apex Investigation and Security

YOUNG LEADER AWARD

YAMAAN ALSUMADI

Since arriving in Thunder Bay four years ago, Yamaan Alsumadi has been planting seeds of hope. An anti-racism activist with strong ties to her cultural community at the Mosque, Yamaan has helped youth build resiliency skills, positive identity, and self-esteem to motivate change in their lives and the lives of others. When co-president of the Regional Multicultural Youth Council, she attended the 2019 Canada We Want Conference in Toronto and returned home to help create Thunder Bay We Want - an inclusive community committed to reconciliation, improved race relations, and safe schools and neighbourhoods. Yamaan chaired a youth-facilitated event that invited 200 secondary students to view Michelle Desrosier’s film Coming Together to Talk, share their perspective of racism in Thunder Bay, and present possible solutions. Yamaan has served on Thunder Bay’s Anti-Racism Incident Reporting Working Group, and championed in-school activities such as the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Today, Yamaan continues her advocacy to build welcoming environments for youth in our city while pursuing studies in nursing at Lakehead University.

Sponsor: Generator

For more information about the recipients, please visit this page.