Rev. Meg Purdy (L) and Candace McBeath are the recipients of this year's YMCA World Peace Medal, presented by the North Bay YMCA. Photo by Phil Novak, BayToday.ca. The North Bay YMCA has presented its peace medals for 2005. Rev.
Rev. Meg Purdy (L) and Candace McBeath are the recipients of this year's YMCA World Peace Medal, presented by the North Bay YMCA. Photo by Phil Novak, BayToday.ca.
The North Bay YMCA has presented its peace medals for 2005.
Rev. Meg Purdy and Widdifield High School student Candace McBeath are this year's recipients, and they received the medals at a YMCA World Peace Ceremony this morning at the Princess Street facility.
"Awarding the YMCA Peace Medal to local peace-building champions exemplifies what YMCA World Peace is all about," said YMCA North Bay Chief Executive Officer Kim Kanmacher.
"The recipients are excellent role models who represent the impact we can have on the world when we set our mind to it. They are a tremendous inspiration, and we are lucky to have them in our community."
Here's what Kanmacher had to say about the two medal recipients:
Rev. Meg Purdy
"For at least a quarter century Meg Purdy has worked with the people of the North Bay region and the churches of Northern Ontario to eradicate nuclear weapons and promote peace."
"For nearly as many years she has tried to encourage inter-faith dialogue and peace between people of different faith perspectives. This has led her to serve on various committees from local to national levels."
"Meg has also worked for peace with youth groups and particularly troubled youth. Her chaplaincy work in the youth correction facilities, both North Bay & Project DARE, has helped youth seek peace in broken relationships through various means of reconciliation."
"For a number of years now, Meg has helped to bring peace to people who were sick and dying and to their families through her chaplaincy work at the North Bay General Hospital."
"Meg has, for all of her adult life, striven for peace with the environment in which we live. For many years she has sought policies and promoted behaviours that heal, care for and sustain the vast variety of life forms that share this planet with us."
"In her years of ordained ministry to United Churches of the~ North Bay Presbytery, Meg has preached, prayed and led liturgies on peace on countless occasions. In so doing she has been an educator and strong advocate for peace."
Candice McBeath
"Candice is a grade 12 student with a strong sense of community, volunteerism and belief that we can all make a positive difference in the world."
"Candice has already accumulated 628 volunteer hours and her goal is to increase that number to 1000 by the end of this school year. Some of her volunteer experience includes community clean-ups, homework club, peer tutoring, the local Heritage Festival, videotaping events such as Arts Fest, Dance Fest, play performances and sporting events, and raking leaves and shoveling driveways for those who could not do so themselves. She believes that getting involved in the community connects us to one another and enables us to make a difference in the world in which we live. It imparts precious values and teaches us the importance of working together in order to accomplish a mutual goal."
"Candice’s biggest undertaking to date is volunteering for the local organization, International Children’s Awareness (ICA). The ICA helps to ensure that less fortunate people have access to things which we consider fundamental rights, such as clean water, education and health care."
"Candice and a friend started ICA Kids and became the first ever Junior Representatives for the organization. ICA Kids has collected eyeglasses, craft and art for orphanages, books for schools, soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste for families, etc. Candice designed a website outlining some projects that the group was involved with and has had many local and international youth participate in fundraising events and then collectively decide how to spend it the funds raised."
"Last year Candice used all her savings to travel to Cameroon, West Africa. She worked in the schools and visited orphanages and a deaf school. Upon her return, she shared her experiences with many of her friends and classmates and through her own passion and enthusiasm has been able to inspire some of them to become involved. She will be going to Cameroon again this year to distribute items collected by ICA Kids to give to schools and orphanages — only this time she will be accompanied by a couple of her friends from school."
"Candice integrates peace building activities into her personal life, her community and overseas. She is a role model to all who know her and teaches us that young people really can make a difference!"
