St. Matthew's Church, Mending the Chasm Receive Mayor's Community Service Awards at Burlington Chamber Virtual Gala

Last night, the Burlington Chamber of Commerce held its 2021 Business Excellence Awards Gala virtually to celebrate our resilient local businesses.Thank you to Carla Nell, President and CEO, and the team at the Burlington Chamber of Commerce for providing a way for us to celebrate again this year. Last year was so well done and this year proved to be amazing as well.The past year has been full of so many challenges -- many related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and many also related to how we evolve as a community and as a country that fully embraces equity, diversity and inclusion so that everyone who lives here feels safe, valued and respected.With all the struggles we’ve gone through this past year, we have also seen remarkable courage, resilience, innovation and compassion. The businesses and community organizations in Burlington have gone above and beyond to support those in our city who needed it the most, and I am very proud of what I have seen.Everyone has pivoted to adapt to completely new and ever-changing circumstances; worked hard to keep their employees and customers safe; and taken care of their teams and our community. We are so lucky to have each of our local businesses and community organizations as part of the fabric that holds our city together and I thank them all for the amazing things they have done the past year.The Chamber Business Excellence Awards is one way we can showcase those among us who have led the way and modelled what it means to be a part of the Burlington community.I was very honoured to present two very deserving recipients with two awards on behalf of the City of Burlington -- the Mayor's Community Service -- not-for-profit and for-profit -- awards.Mayor’s Community Service – Not-For-Profit AwardRecipient: St. Matthew on-the-Plains Anglican ChurchThis award recognizes a non-profit organization that has contributed to the well-being of our community members in their economic, mental, and physical health through volunteerism, philanthropy and community engagement. And throughout the pandemic this has never been more important with so many people in need due to these extraordinary times.Accepting the award on behalf of St. Matthew's last night-- including collaborators Jim Young and Grace Ann Wilbur-- was Connie Price.Located in Aldershot, St. Matthew on-the-Plains Anglican Church is well-known for its longstanding community outreach programs where they support groups like Out-4-Lunch seniors lunches, the Burlington Food Bank, Halton Women’s Place, and the Compassion Society.In 2020, they quickly mobilized when the pandemic began to provide touch-free methods of donating to our local food bank twice a week in collaboration with the Aldershot Food Collection Committee. They hosted drive-thru drop-offs on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12-3 p.m. where residents could simply pull in to the church parking lot, drop off their donations onto skids and drive away. They then had driver volunteers load the donated items into their cars and take them to the food bank and the Compassion Society to help keep their shelves full at this critical time of need. Early on, they also added a thank-you for the donors when they dropped off food: they offered individually-bagged, cloth face masks to take for themselves and their families to use.Mayor’s Community Service – For-Profit/Business AwardRecipient: Mending the ChasmAs a community and as a country, we are faced with our imperfect history and our need to better represent and support our increasingly diverse population. From Pride flags and crosswalks, to Black Lives Matter marches, to fighting Islamophobia and honouring the Indigenous lives lost at residential schools across Canada and Residential School Survivors, we see very clearly that we have work to do and we need passionate and committed people to do it.This award acknowledges a local company who is contributing to Burlington’s physical, mental, and economic well-being by doing the work to make our community a safe space for everyone, where people of all races and backgrounds feel seen and heard, respected and protected.Accepting the award last night was Mending the Chasm founder Leena Sharma Seth.Serving Burlington and the broader Greater Toronto Area, Mending the Chasm is an organization that shows you don’t have to be big in size to make a big difference in a community. Led by founder Leena Sharma-Seth, this consulting firm focuses on coaching, consulting & training in inclusion, equity & diversity at a time where we need to improve those skills more than ever. Their work helps elevate awareness, acceptance and tolerance in our community and their partnerships with countless organizations add value and impact to many initiatives across Burlington.They recently helped launch The Inside Out Project, a Halton community pilot for leaders in Halton Region who recognize the need to build anti-racism capacity and are ready to learn how to build truly inclusive cultures, actively disrupt racism within their cultures and spaces and drive action-oriented change that will create more equitable outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and racialized citizens throughout Halton.They've also established a Foundation Fund in partnership with the Oakville Community Foundation, that will be devoted to funding charitable initiatives that build inclusive, equitable and anti-racist communities and an annual scholarship for one student in Halton who has demonstrated leadership, having gone above and beyond, to build a more inclusive, equitable and anti-racist community space.Each year they are committed to donating a percentage of their profits to build this fund.Congratulations to all of last night's winners -- to learn more about them, please click the link below.RELATED LINK:

• Burlington Chamber of Commerce News Release: Meet the 2021 Business Excellence Award Winners