Volunteer Citizen of the Year Awards 

 

Direct Energy Honours Alberta Community Heroes through Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award Program

CALGARY, AB (June 13, 2015) - In its 11th year, Direct Energy and the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association (AWNA) have named their 2015 Alberta Volunteer Citizen of the Year winner, Brian Diamond.

 

Since 2011, Brian Diamond has been volunteering at Edmonton Meals on Wheels five times a week as a meal delivery driver, assisting with the utmost humility and enthusiasm. Routinely going the extra mile to help ensure the success of the program, Diamond has dedicated thousands of hours each year to volunteering. Beyond meal delivery, he makes genuine connections with the Edmontonians he serves, providing extra attention and care to clients demonstrating a change in behavior or health. This service is important, as in some cases, a visit with the volunteer may be the only social interaction a client has that day.

 

Founded in 1969, Edmonton Meals on Wheels is a not-for-profit organization that provides home-delivered meal services to a diverse mix of people across the city, with the help of dedicated volunteers. In 2014, the kitchen staff and volunteers produced and packaged over 154,000 meals to home-bound Edmontonians. Those meals were delivered by volunteers, who in 2014 drove over 111,000 kilometers to transport the meals to our clients.

 

“Brian is a humble, thoughtful and tremendously kind member of our community whose work with the Edmonton Meals on Wheels program deserves to be rewarded” said Tanis Kozak, vice president and general manager, Direct Energy. “His hard work, and the hard work of countless volunteers across Alberta, inspires and improves the lives of so many in need.”

 

By winning the Alberta Volunteer Citizen of the Year award, Direct Energy will make a $5,000 donation to Edmonton Meals on Wheels, Diamond’s charity of choice. The donation will be used to support the meal subsidy program. This program allows low-income clients access to meals at a discounted rate, meaning that more clients who need the services of Meals on Wheels are able to receive them.

 

In addition to Diamond’s outstanding volunteer spirit, this year’s Volunteer Citizen of the Year award also recognizes four finalists who have made a positive impact on their communities across the province:

• Ernie and Linda Halun, for their tireless commitment to the Radway community over the past 35 years
  
• Jock Archer, for his role in the success of the Gibbons Seniors Twilight Club’s social activities
  
• Dan Johnstone, whose fundraising group, “Can Man Dan,” has raised nearly 75,000 pounds of food and $50,000 for the Edmonton’s and Calgary’s food Banks over the past four years
  
• Buddy Bensmiller, whose involvement with local youth hockey programs has improved the lives of Dewberry youth for 35 years
  

 

A special award event honoring Diamond and the four finalists will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2015 at 6:00 p.m., as part of AWNA’s 95th Annual Convention. Representatives from Direct Energy and AWNA will be on hand to present him with the award and recognize the finalists. 

 

About Direct Energy:
	Direct Energy is North America’s largest provider of heating & cooling, plumbing and electrical services and a leading energy and energy-related services provider with over six million residential and commercial customer relationships. Direct Energy provides customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE: CNA), one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates in 46 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and 10 provinces in Canada. To learn more about Direct Energy, please visit www.directenergy.com.
The award itself consists of:
	$5,000 donation to the winner’s organization/cause of choice in their community; recognition of the winner’s achievement through a commemorative award, article and photo to be published in AWNA newspapers across Alberta; and recognition of the four semi-finalists through a commemorative award, article and photo to be published in their respective AWNA community papers. Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award rules and details can be found at http://www.directenergy.com/vcoy › or can be picked up at AWNA member newspaper offices after the 2016 competition is opened for nominations