The Celebration of People, an annual awards program and dinner, honoured some Centretown residents and companies at the Hampton Ottawa Conference Centre Thursday night.
The event recognizes businesses, organizations and individuals with disabilities, who promote accessibility, inclusion and community participation.
Of the 13 awards showcased at this year’s venue, four were given to recipients from the Centretown community.
The Delcan Corporation, lead consultant for the award-winning Corktown Footbridge that links Centretown and Sandy Hill, accepted its award for meeting high standards of accessibility to better the community.
Local Centretown social enterprise Cycle Salvation captured an award for its efforts to employ people of all abilities to restore bicycles, gearing them for full-time occupation in the community.
Proud recipient André Lanthier is an avid painter from the H’Art of Ottawa studio. He admits he has discovered his “inner artist,” pouring his passion into landscape and wildlife pieces, now sold at numerous art shows.
Recipient Scott Stokes, supervisor at Good Day Workshop, inspires others through refinishing and repairing furniture, to achieve success and promote a sense of community.
These beneficiaries were chosen from a pool of 28 finalists, who were all nominated by members of the community. Honorable mentions from the Centretown area include Carol Lee of the Canadian Red Cross, Betty-Ann Capogreco of ComputerWise and Dianne Gate with Parks, Recreation and Culture at the City of Ottawa.
Since 2001, The Celebration of People has been held every year on Dec. 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.