Prince George ‘Citizens of the Year’ winners named

The Prince George Community Foundation has revealed this year’s four Citizens of the Year.

The winners were broken down into two categories; Lifetime Achievement and Annual Difference Maker.

The Lifetime Achievement award is given to someone with at least 10 years of volunteer experience and philanthropic work.

The Annual Difference Maker is the same, but the time frame is shortened to the last calendar year.

Here are the winners of the Lifetime Achievement, as well as a bio provided by the Community Foundation:

Steve Hamilton – Steve supported the revitalization of the Spruce City Wildlife Association (SCWA) as a volunteer, Director and 3 full terms as President. When he became the Director, SCWA membership went from 30 to over 200 members as of December 2021. Steve helped to re-open the fish hatchery by starting with GoFish BC to obtain trout for the facility. Our local hatchery is now the largest volunteer run hatchery North of Kamloops. Approximately a million dollars were received in grant/donations for the facility under Steve’s term as President.

Dave King – Dave began his volunteer career 48 years ago by joining the Caledonia Ramblers Club in 1975. Since then, Dave has helped maintain existing trails, build new trails, and lead hikes in the Prince George Region. One of Dave’s most recent achievements is the creation of the Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park, and in building the foundations for a Universal Boardwalk that was to provide access to the Forest for all visitors. To this day Dave continues to volunteer and support the Caledonia Ramblers.

Mary Teegee – Mary is a relentless advocate for human, Indigenous, and women’s rights and has served on various provincial, national, and international committees. She represents B.C. on the Board of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and has acted as a Steering Committee member of the First Nations Early Childhood Development Council. She has been a member of the Provincial Ministers Advisory Council on Aboriginal Women and works tirelessly to inform people about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Canada. Mary is also the Chairperson for the B.C. Directors Forum for Indigenous Child and Family.

Here is the winner of the Annual Difference Maker, and their bio provided by the Community Foundation:

Patti Perrault – Patti has been bringing community night markets to Prince George for the past few years. Each market has been very well attended. The proceeds from the markets go to support nonprofits in our Community. Patti does an amazing job organizing up to 150 vendors and makes it look effortless. Through the countless hours she spends advertising, supporting vendors it is always a big success. These markets support many local vendors in our community.

The winners will be celebrated on March 8th at the Coast Inn of the North.

The evening will feature a formal presentation of the awards, after which recipients will participate in a “fireside chat” where they will have a chance to speak.

To buy tickets, click here.