Purpose of the Living the Mission Awards:
The annual CHSO Living the Mission Awards aim to recognize people or teams from CHSO sponsored organizations who have made a significant contribution over a sustained period to the advancement of the Catholic Mission of their organization. The Living the Mission Awards recipients have inspired and/or mentored others and are beacons of servant leadership.
Who is Eligible?
The Living the Mission Awards are open to all individuals or teams who meet the criteria. This includes both lay people and religious, who are employed, or have been employed, at any level or capacity in a CHSO sponsored organization; as well as persons who hold, or have served in, such roles as Board director, volunteer, physician, resource person, advisor, or mentor.
Criteria – Each Nominee:
- Champions the value of Catholic works and ministry today, the healing ministry of Jesus, and the gospel mission.
- Reflects the Catholic mission concern for the vulnerable.
- Embodies the organization's mission, vision, and values, and integrates mission into daily operations.
- Articulates the value of Catholic health care, social services, and other works, and enables others to do the same.
- Inspires, mentors, and supports others to embrace the organization's mission, and has an impact on forming a new generation of leaders.
- Demonstrates a commitment to performance excellence and high-quality program and service delivery.
- Embraces the principle of collaboration, and the value of organizations working together to create high-quality, effective partnerships.
Call for Nominations
For more information, see 2023 Living the Mission Awards Call for Nominations.
2023 Living the Mission Awards
Congratulations to this year's recipients of the Living the Mission Awards!
Dr. Stephen Hwang - Mission Leadership Award
Dr. Hwang is the Director of MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at Unity Health Toronto. His nominators describe him as an internationally known, leading researcher in homelessness who has advanced “Catholic health care’s contribution and mission to improve health outcomes to those living in situations of vulnerability, marginalization and poverty. He has expressed that his work “at a Catholic sponsored hospital made all the difference to his research, encouraging him to care for those most experiencing inequity and marginalization.”
Eleanor (Ellie) Lambert - Founders’ Leadership Award
Ellie is an Occupational Therapist at Providence Care. Those who nominated Ellie describe her as someone who “champions Catholic healthcare’s concerns for the vulnerable by deliberately and meaningfully engaging the most vulnerable in our community to be part of planning, design, implementation and use of the Recovery College”. (The Recovery College gives people with mental illness the chance to access education and training programmes designed to help them on their road to recovery). They further explain that Ellie has “created the most compassionate, welcoming environment where people may learn, and have personal agency in a most respectful space, ensuring the dignity of each person.”
Carol Lambie – 2022 Award Recipient
Congratulations to Carol Lambie, the 2022 recipient of CHSO’s annual Living the Mission Award. The recently-retired President and CEO for Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care is known to many of you for her dedication years working in health care in Ontario. In her nomination, colleagues described Carol by sharing that she “champions collaboration and an integrated health system, so she is well known to many .. As Carol comes to her career end, we can think of no better way to recognize her immense contribution to Catholic health care than the Living the Mission Award.” We couldn’t agree more.
The Living the Mission Award recognizes individuals or teams who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of Catholic health care in Ontario. Carol’s nomination highlighted many of the ways she has championed Catholic health care throughout her for 35 years, first at Penetanguishene General Hospital, founded by the Grey Sisters, and later as President and CEO of Waypoint. Carol played a major role in the hospital transitioning to a Catholic hospital in 2008.
Her nomination also shared that her commitment to high quality service delivery is evident by her impact on the community, patients, volunteers, families and staff. Carol announced her re tirement from Waypoint with a solid foundation of strong relationships and partnerships across North Simcoe-Muskoka, and the province.
Under her leadership Waypoint has grown its service to the most vulnerable with a focus on patient-centered care, research and partnerships. Her colleagues also shared that she is an inspirational leader who regularly engages with staff and encourages leaders to participate in the CHSO Mission Leadership Program. She is committed to the well-being and safety of staff and healthcare workers with Waypoint implementing the ‘Mental Health Commission Psychological Health and Safety Standard’.
More recently, Carol advocated for Waypoint to be one of five provincial providers for the COVID-19 Frontline Wellness Program, serving all health care and frontline workers. Congratulations, Carol!
Jo-Anne Palkovits – 2021 Award Recipient
Jo-Anne Palkovits
Jo-Anne has been with St. Joseph’s Health Centre for 20 years, and through her leadership she has helped ensure the sustainability and perpetuation of the mission instilled by its founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph. Her nomination reflected that she has been a fierce advocate for securing resources and developing programs to address unmet needs and serve the community’s most vulnerable. She also has worked tirelessly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, often a great personal sacrifice. She consistently shows her deep gratitude for the wonderful work that staff do in these difficult times.
Beth Johnson and Maryan Hassan - 2020 Award Recipients
The 2020 CHSO Living the Mission Award process was completed earlier this year. The recipient(s) of the award are normally announced at the CHSO Gala Dinner, which was to be held this year on March 30, and cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. As a date to reschedule the Gala Dinner has not yet been determined, we would like to take this opportunity to announce these two very deserving recipients of the 2020 CHSO Living the Mission Award:
Beth Johnson, Executive Director, Mission Integration, Volunteer and Visitor Services, Unity Health Toronto - Nominated by President & CEO Tim Rutledge.
Maryan Hassan, PSW, St. Patrick's Home - Nominated by President & CEO Janet Morris and the St. Patrick's Leadership Team
The CHSO Selection Committee determined that the award should go to two candidates this year as Beth and Maryan both exemplify the qualities of a mission leader in their organizations, even though they have very different roles. Beth is a very strong candidate for the award and, in her previous role at Unity Health, lived the role of a mission leader every day in her work. Maryan works on the front line, at the bedside, and is representative of the kind of commitment and spirit that the award seeks to acknowledge. Please join CHSO in congratulating Beth and Maryan!
Barb O'Shea - 2019 Award Recipient
Sr. Sarah Quackenbush, Barb O'Shea, John Ruetz, Fr. Dennis Murphy
Barb O’Shea was hired by the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul and has committed her 43-year career in health care, working for Providence Care, Kingston demonstrating the principles of Catholic social teaching every day. Barb contributes to the delivery of health care by the many lives she touches through relationships developed across our community and with our patients, residents, and clients and their families, and also with broader Catholic provincial health care providers. These relationships demonstrate how Barb embraces and models our values of respect, dignity, compassion, and stewardship.
Voices, Opportunities, and Choices Employment Club, Kingston (VOSEC) - 2019 Award Recipient
Ben Gooch, Karen Carmichael, Sr. Sarah Quackenbush, John Ruetz
Voices, Opportunities, and Choices Employment Club (VOCEC) is a not-for-profit social enterprise providing supportive employment to people living with mental illness, and who are recipients of mental health services at Providence Care and elsewhere in the community of Kingston. VOCEC’s mission, ‘through work, recovery is possible’, minimizes stigma and discrimination and generates hope through the realization of personal potential that empowers the vulnerable and marginalized population to maintain a journey to health, wellness, and recovery.
Kirby Kranabetter - 2018 Award Recipient
Guy Chartrand, Monsignor Dennis Murphy, Kirby Kranabetter, John Ruetz, and Louis Savoie
This year’s recipient of the CHSO Living the Mission Award is Kirby Kranabetter. The award acknowledges the highest level of excellence in the area of demonstrated and recognized day-to-day expression of Mission. Kirby began working with Bruyère Continuing Care in 1993 as the Coordinator of Pastoral Care. Today, he is the Director of Mission, Ethics, Compliance and Client Relations. Kirby was nominated for this award by the Board and Executive Team at Bruyère: "Everyone at Bruyère knows Kirby as our "mission" champion. He has big shoes to fill to ensure that Bruyère carries the torch of love, respect and compassion which began over 172 years ago by our foundress, Mother Elisabeth Bruyère and to educate and guide staff about the history and importance of that mission. As mission lead, Kirby champions the mission and values every day through his words, actions and interactions with staff and those who approach him. He is always willing to help with a compassionate heart and smile."
On a personal level, Kirby has faced his own life adversities with courage and commitment, having suffered a devastating injury from an accident early in his life. Kirby shared his personal story with those attending the Forum on February 26th. He knows firsthand what it means to be vulnerable as a patient in the system and brings this unique perspective to his work with staff, patients and family members at Bruyère. In his own words, "when you are faced with a difficult medical journey, even the smallest kindness can mean so much to you and your family".
https://www.bruyere.org/en/Blog/LivingtheMissionaward?ly=4
Doris Shirriff - 2017 Award Recipient
Waypoint's President & CEO Carol Lambie, Doris Shirriff, Sister Sarah Quackenbush
The 2017 recipient of CHSO’s Living the Mission Award is Doris Shirriff. Doris was honoured during CHSO’s Forum and Gala Dinner held on June 26, 2017 in Toronto. Doris has inspired and mentored others in her long career as a front-line employee, senior leader and governor within Catholic health care, and most recently at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health. http://www.waypointcentre.ca/news___events/around_waypoint/doris_shirriff_receives_prestigious_catholic_healt/
Sister Sarah Quackenbush - 2016 Award Recipient
Sister Sarah Quackenbush, Sisters of St. Joseph, Sault Ste. Marie, and current Board Member at St. Joseph's Health Centre in Sudbury was honoured on June 27, 2016. Sister Sarah's story can be accessed at: http://chco.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/St.-Josephs-Health-Centre-Sudbury-Media-Release-Sister-Sarah-Quackenbush.pdf
Sister Mary Anne McCarthy - 2015 Award Recipient
Sister Mary Anne McCarthy and Providence Healthcare's President & CEO Josie Walsh
On June 22, 2015, Sister Mary Anne McCarthy CSJ received the Living the Mission Award for her ministry as the Director of Mission and Values at Providence Healthcare. Sister Mary Anne's story can be accessed at: http://www.csj-to.ca/story/2015/06/sister-mary-anne-mccarthy-honoured-living-mission-award
