Mayor’s City Builder Award winner John Higgins has volunteered for more than a decade at the Elgin Street Public School.
Centretown resident John Higgins is the latest recipient of the Mayor’s City Builder Award in recognition of his volunteerism with Elgin Street Public School.
Higgins was given the award on Nov. 23 by Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes.
“I truly am thrilled,” says Higgins. “I’m just one of many parents over the years and I feel a little sheepish being singled out.”
Higgins was unknowingly nominated for the award – created by Watson after his election last year – by the Elgin Street Public School staff members as a way to say thank you for his help over the years.
“He’s so vital to our school in a lot of ways,” says Barbara Johnston, the school’s principal. “It’s always interesting with John because he’s got such a great sense of humour. He always brings a chuckle to our meetings. We’re very proud of him.”
In the past decade, Higgins’s role as a volunteer with the school has been multi-faceted.
He sat on the school’s parent council as treasurer and council co-chair and is currently the fundraising chair.
He is assistant coach of the girls’ soccer team and the school’s parent representative for the Ottawa Carleton District School Board.
Despite all these titles, Higgins says his greatest task as a volunteer over the years has been to organize the school’s annual book fair and silent auction.
“We get tons of books every year,” he says. “It’s great because not only are we able to raise money for the school, but the kids benefit from getting all these new books. The great thing about it is that we’re able to really engage the parents and the community and show them what’s going on.”
Higgins, 58, has two children attending the school. He credits his past as an economist for his success as a community builder.
“When I was working as an economist I had a staff that reported to me,” Higgins says. “That’s helped me learn how to manage people and get the best out of everyone. I’m able to delegate certain tasks to certain people and get parents involved.”
Adam DeCaire, director of community relations outreach with the City of Ottawa, says the Mayor’s City Builder Award was created to recognize hard-working individuals like Higgins.
“It’s all about recognizing these individuals who work hard and who seldom seek recognition,” he says.
“They help make our city a better place and Mayor Watson wanted to do something to say thank you.”