ChangeMakers Awards celebrate dedicated volunteers

2023 ChangeMaker Award winners group photo

Red intro quotation mark

“Everywhere I have gone in my life and my career, I’ve asked myself, how do I effect change? How do we tackle community issues together? How can each of us make this a better place for everybody?”

Mark Egbedeyi-Emmanuel
General Manager, EPCOR
United Way 2023 Community Campaign chair

It’s been a year chock-full of inspirational volunteers: the community mobilizers, Campaign champions and caring citizens who take action, inspire their colleagues, and make a difference where we live and work.

And on April 23, United Way and presenting sponsor Scotiabank honoured these ChangeMakers – and the success of the 2023-2024 Campaign – in a celebration of people who lend their time and talents to make good things happen locally.

The event honoured 15 individuals and 3 workplace teams who went above and beyond in 2023.

2023 Community Campaign Chair Mark Egbedyi-Emmanuel, general manager of natural gas at EPCOR based in Aylmer, inspired the community to think big, “Everywhere I have gone in my life and my career, I’ve asked myself, how do I effect change? How do we tackle community issues together? How can each of us make this a better place for everybody?”

“These things don’t happen by themselves. They happen with people being involved.”

Kelly Ziegner, United Way president and CEO, described volunteers as “the lifeblood of this region … people who tirelessly, boldly, enthusiastically, give your time and energy because you believe this is a community where everyone deserves a fair shot at a good life.”

The United Way 2023 Campaign wrapped up March 31, 2024. In total, donor generosity will translate this year to $4.5 million invested in 43 vital local programs. The official 2024 Campaign launch, together with United Way’s annual 3M Harvest Lunch is scheduled to take place in St. Thomas on Sept. 18 at Elgin County Railway Museum and in London on Sept. 25 at Coven Garden Market.

Meet the 2023 United Way ChangeMakers

These community champions stepped up in difficult times to support those in need. Using their energy, passion and commitment to improve lives locally, each winner helped bring opportunity and hope to local people this year.

Award presented by Scotiabank.
Pictured left to right: Kelly Ziegner, President & CEO,
United Way Elgin Middlesex, Jeff Macoun, Canada Life
and Chris Turino, Scotiabank.

Lifetime Achievement
Jeff Macoun, Canada Life

From his youth, Jeff has been inspired to help find solutions, to collaborate and build community. He is driven by the ultimate goal to unite people, ideas and resources to create lasting change in people’s lives. He has helped guide and serve our local community by leading many initiatives which positively influence London’s social and economic landscape. Our community has been incredibly fortunate that his tremendous energy and intellect have been put to work right here in our own neighbourhoods throughout his career. 

Jeff worked his way up through the ranks at London Life, providing leadership through much change and growth in the industry and the company, through many economic and social changes, finally leading Canada Life as President and C.O.O. The hallmark throughout Jeff’s leadership has been a culture of active caring, for employees and for community.  

Alongside this successful and demanding career, Jeff has always made time for the things that are truly important: his wonderful family and his local community. As well as serving as Board Member and Board Chair of St Joseph’s Health Care Foundation,  Honorary Chair of the Capital Campaign at St. Joseph’s, he has been longtime Board Member, London Chamber of Commerce, including serving as President, member of the YMCA of Southwestern Ontario Board of Directors and Chair of the Y Capital Campaign. Jeff is currently the Chair of the Community Fundraising Team for the Health & Homelessness Movement for Change, where he is rallying Londoners to unite and face the housing challenge together 

And of course, Jeff served several years as a United Way volunteer at London Life, then on Cabinet and then serving as our Campaign Chair in 2007. Within Canada Life, he empowers employees to take on key volunteer roles that develop their skills and grow their passion for community. Every year, Jeff makes the time to provide personal leadership for the Canada Life United Way campaign. He speaks, sends emails and shares stories, he encourages all his colleagues to participate, and leads by example.

Because of his great passion for his work and for his community, Jeff has been the deserving recipient of many awards including: The Ivey Award for Excellence, YMCA William Bowman Award,  Hospital Leaders and Volunteer Award, from St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation, induction into the London and District Business Hall of Fame, the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, for his outstanding and exemplary contributions to his community. We are delighted to add the ChangeMaker Lifetime Achievement Award to his well-deserved collection. 

Top Campaign Team – Small
EPCOR

This small and mighty team puts forward a huge amount of passion and creativity to rally their workplace of 17 employees toward achieving great results. From cupcake draws, candy jar guessing, raffles, and their signature annual community BBQ, this team’s contagious enthusiasm has spread within their organization, with their neighbours in Aylmer and throughout the broader community as well. EPCOR’s 2023 campaign was its largest yet – almost four times what it was since coming on board five years ago. 

Top Campaign Team – Medium
Child and Parent Resource Institute

The Child and Parent Resource Institute absolutely rocked their United Way Campaign this year with a whopping 66% increase from last year! From chess games to cupcakes sales to appreciation grams, participation in special events and money raised skyrocketed with a more than 1100% increase! The Child and Parent Resource Institute also had an increase in employee giving of 46%, a 63% increase in number of donors and saw their highest participation rate since 2018. The hard work and dedication the team put into their 2023 Campaign serves as an inspiration to all, and they proved that nothing could stop them in their commitment to their community.

Top Campaign Team – Large
General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada

This dynamic team pulled out all the stops during this year’s campaign! Together, they provided so many opportunities for their employees to support their community that their Development Officer was on a first name basis with Teddy and the rest of their security staff. Adopting an ALL-IN mindset, they brought back the fun of Family Day and London Majors Baseball, shared their local love at 3M Harvest Lunch and the TD StairClimb, helped everyone get involved through numerous other events, fundraisers, and volunteer opportunities like Best First Day and Day of Caring… and set the foundation for real conversations at Leadership, WSBM, and New Hire Meetings; building on the decades long strength of a culture for United Way.

Couldn’t attend, photo was taken at a later date.

Outstanding Workplace Champion – Small
Nell Lealess & Jordan Chase, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Nell and Jordan brought boundless energy to the CFIA GCWCC campaign. They kicked off the campaign with an amazing team breakfast, which was donated and cooked by volunteers. They ran numerous special events which included a football fantasy league, spring-roll day, wine survivor, and weekly coffee days for United WayTheir 2023 campaign saw a 45% increase over last year and is CFIA’s highest total since 2018.

Outstanding Workplace Champion – Medium
Michelle Longdon & Rachel Noble, Canada Revenue Agency

This creative duo stepped up this year for the CRA GCWCC campaign. They held mock ‘telethons’ throughout the campaign to engage employees in a fun and interactive way (bow ties and all)They raised awareness through impact speakers and trivia games, encouraged donations and had lots of fun along the wayThey also brought back local events to the London office, which included a fall fair, silent auction and coffee sales. Their efforts resulted in a 30% increase in employee giving over last year and the highest it’s been in more than 10 years.

Outstanding Workplace Champion – Large
Sara DeCandido, London Health Sciences Centre

Sara exemplifies unwavering dedication and relentless advocacy in her partnership with United Way and the campaign at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). Fearlessly championing the cause, she underscores the vital importance of community care. Her impassioned efforts rallied employees and nurtured a spirit of generosity. Under Sara’s leadership, participation surged by an impressive 19.5%, with a 2% increase in giving. At Sara’s initiative, the StairClimb event took place on site at both LHSC locations, allowing shift-workers and other staff to be included and feel included in this fun fundraiser. Sara’s tireless advocacy leaves an unforgettable mark on everyone in her orbit.

Rookie of the Year 
Sara Kelly, Ivey Business School, Western University

Sara was an exemplary champion – always the first to engage when Champion emails were sent out and enthusiastic about getting the word out quickly about whatever was happening on and off campus. This included rotating “why I give” stories in the School’s bi-weekly email newsletter. As a first-time Champion, Sara engaged colleagues Kelly Hancock (cabinet member) and Leadership Chairs, Kim Miller and Darren Meister to encourage participation at the 3M Harvest Lunch and TD StairClimb. She used her fundraising background and passion for community to motivate and inspire her colleagues throughout the campaign. 

Couldn’t attend, photo will be taken at a later date.

DoGooder Award,
Paul MacGregor, AB Lucas Secondary School, Thames Valley District School Board

Paul had one goal this year: show everyone that A B Lucas Secondary School could move mountains! And wow did they ever! They raised $11,349 for their community this year; that’s a 289% increase over last year, making them the top fundraising school in Elgin and Middlesex Counties. But Paul didn’t stop at inspiring his own school. He used the TVDSB Campaign Kick-Off to host a friendly competition with mascots at ten other schools. In doing so, Paul’s team of DoGooders set the bar, showing what was possible when everyone worked together; challenging other schools to try something new and creating a school culture where everyone played a part in creating a community where everyone had a fair shot at a good life. 

DoGooder Award,
Erika Hill, Lori Johnson, Angelica Lucaci, Karen VanKerkoerle, Western Geography StairClimb Team

Although this team has changed a bit over the years, this core group of individuals has been an enthusiastic fixture of the StairClimb for the past 12 years (including through COVID). Their cumulative StairClimb fundraising is just shy of $20,000, and they consistently find themselves near the top of each year’s overall leaderboard and usually first or second among Western’s teams. United Way appreciates how they show up and step up – usually with themed outfits and tireless good humour. Through their fundraising efforts, they have created awareness, and motivated donors, both on- and off-campus.

DoGooder Award 
Ryan Pierce, TD Bank

Ryan assumed the crucial role of TD Bank United Way Elgin Middlesex sponsor and ignited employee participation across various departments while providing unwavering support for the TD sponsored employee. Through innovative event planning, he introduced initiatives that significantly elevated fundraising endeavours. These included his meticulous coordination of logistics at TD StairClimb, where he also volunteered for the entire day and helped TD surpassed its fundraising goal. Ryan also took on two volunteer roles with United Way, as a member of the Agency Partnerships and Investments Committee and the Allocations volunteer team, where he helped assess applications for community grants. Ryan’s enthusiasm and reliability have made him an asset throughout the community. 

DoGooder Award
Brian Carey

Brian has made a career, and a post-retirement career, of doing good – specifically volunteering his photographic skills. His love for photography started when his grandfather asked Brian to take photos of their 60th wedding anniversary. He said he had to run out and buy his first camera for the event: a Kodak Brownie Starflash! Today his digital images enrich our community. Many of you in the room will recognize him as he is the friendly volunteer face behind the camera lens at many United Way events. Brian first started volunteering at United Way in 2008, the year he was a sponsored employee from the CRA. Amazingly, he has returned every year since! He volunteers for the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy campaign every October and November and he also volunteers at the Grand Theatre throughout the year, as well as helping friends when they ask for help at their eventsWhen an injury left Brian unable to continue with his love of playing hockey, he traded in his skate for volunteer time. Luckily his wife Kathy is willing to share Brian with the community and it is our pleasure to put him on the other side of the camera and invite him up to accept his award! 

Innovator Award 
Ezra Nicholson, Central Elgin Collegiate Institute, Thames Valley District School Board

When Ezra told us that his class had an idea to engage CECI in a new way, we never could have imagined what would come next! Ezra and the students in his Leadership class had put together a plan to bring the TD StairClimb energy to their school. In the process, not only did they create a high energy event that engaged students at Central Elgin Collegiate Institute in a new way, but they redefined what StairClimb could be by incorporating other teen-inspired aspects like a silent disco, snow cone and snack bar, costumes, and a fun track that led students through the halls, creating an unignorable call for others to support their community. They even leveraged their connections with elementary schools to invite them to be a part of the fun. At the end of the day, they raised almost $2,000 for their community, inspired hundreds of students, and created a best practice event for schools that might not otherwise be able to participate in our biggest annual fundraiser.

Topics :