Chilliwack river cleanup leader named a B.C. ‘community achiever’

The Chilliwack Progress,

Chris Gadsden one of 25 in province to be presented award by British Columbia Achievement Foundation

A Chilliwack man known for his fierce dedication to cleaning up local waterways was named one of 25 community achievers for 2018 by the British Columbia Achievement Foundation.

The honour bestowed upon Chris Gadsden announced on Sunday comes just five days after he was was presented with the Andy Rotzetter Memorial Award by the Fraser Valley Illegal Dumping Alliance (FVIDA) and Fraser Riverkeeper for his “exemplary dedication to the stewardship of the Fraser River.”

Premier John Horgan and Scott McIntyre, Chair of the British Columbia Achievement Foundation, named this year’s recipients of the BC Community Achievement Awards, marking the 15th offering of these awards.

“The dedication and generosity of British Columbians like these make our communities great places to live,” Horgan said in a press release issued March 29. “Thanks to the 2018 recipients for helping build a better British Columbia for us all.”

“We are very proud to be able to honour 25 extraordinary British Columbians whose dedication contributes to the health and well-being of our province,” McIntyre said. “We thank them all for their remarkable contributions as both volunteers and engaged citizens.”

Gadsden is the sole recipient of the award from Chilliwack. See below for the full list.

Gadsden is an avid angler and outdoorsman, and is one of the founders of the Chilliwack-Vedder River Cleanup Society, and a supporter of the FVIDA. In the 14 years he was involved with the society, he helped oversee nearly 27,000 hours of volunteer work removing over 100 tonnes of garbage from the riparian area of the Chilliwack-Vedder River.

Gadsden was honoured with the Andy Rotzetter Memorial Award on March 24 at the 11th Annual Fraser River Cleanup. He’ll next be in action with other volunteers on April 21 at the Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Society’s annual river cleanup, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. meeting at the Great Blue Heron Reserve.

The recipients of the 2018 awards will be recognized in a formal presentation ceremony at Government House in Victoria on April 25. Each recipient will receive a certificate, and a medallion designed by B.C. artist Robert Davidson, OC.

The British Columbia Achievement Foundation is an independent foundation established and endowed by the province of B.C. to celebrate excellence in the arts, humanities, enterprise and community service. Launched in 2003, the BC Community Achievement Awards were the first initiative of the foundation, followed by the BC Creative Achievement Award for Applied Art and Design, BC’s National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, the BC Creative Achievement Award for First Nations Art, and the BC Indigenous Business Awards.

The recipients of the 2018 awards are:

Kevin Albers, Victoria

Joyce Babula, Gabriola Island

Lolly Bennett, Vancouver

Sukhi Brar, Abbotsford

Margo Dent, Squamish

Chris Gadsden, Chilliwack

Patricia Grue, Stewart

Terri Hanen, Dawson Creek

Shirley Henry, Pemberton

Geraldine Hinton, Victoria

Doug Hopwood, Qualicum Beach

Jag Khosa, Surrey

Jim Lamond, Richmond

Paddy Macleod, West Vancouver

Jo Mitchell, Metchosin

Charles Newton, Granisle

Mary O’Neill, Coquitlam

Jerrilyn Schembri, Tumbler Ridge

Aart Schuurman Hess, Vancouver

Min Sidhu, Vernon

Jeff Swann, Ucluelet

Lisa Tallio, Bella Coola

Kim van der Woerd, West Vancouver

Pete Wise, Coldstream

Andy Yu, Vancouver

Paul J. Henderson: @PeeJayAitchpaul.henderson@theprogress.com

See original article: https://www.theprogress.com/news/chilliwack-river-cleanup-leader-named-a-b-c-community-achiever/

Previous
Previous

Untreated sewage pollutes water across the country

Next
Next

Fraser River cleanup turnout in Chilliwack was even bigger than last year’s