“This award is not only for me but for all of us,” a jubilant Tomas ‘Tatay Tom’ Avendano told Philippine Asian News Today (PNT) by phone. When he received the call from the Governor General’s office informing him that he was one of the recipients of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal he answered, “Do you think you have the right man?”
The 83-year old former Pasay City councilor was recently recognized for his indefatigable work with the community for close to two decades. He is president and CEO of the non-profit Multicultural Helping House Society (MHHS) that serve the needs of the immigrant community and help them integrate into Canadian society.Avendano, the only Filipino who got the medal, was honored “for his commitment to helping new immigrants on Canada’s West Coast to integrate into Canadian society,”
At a time when most people his age would be retired and just take it easy, Tom Avendano is still ‘raring to go’ and get involved.
“Hanggang may ma-ibigay pa, pagbutihan natin yan,” he told PNT adding that he is just “leading the way and that he hopes the young will follow as there are a lot of capable people out there.”
The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal - one of a series of national celebratory gestures to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s ascent to the throne - was given to 60 Canadians Monday at Rideau Hall. The Queen is the symbolic head of Britain and Canada and other Commonwealth countries.
“The recipients who are honoured by this medal have made Canada better,’’ Gov. Gen. David Johnston said in a statement.
“Individually, they have improved the well-being of many in our communities, and together, they have helped to create a smarter, more caring nation. They represent a mosaic of individual experiences and accomplishments. Like Her Majesty, they inspire others to take up the call to service.”
Avendano begun his original and modest beginnings as the Filipino Canadian Support Services Society (FCSSS) which opened in Surrey in 1996 to welcome immigrants and give them the guidance they need for their new lives.
Four years later in 2001, the Society metamorphosed into the Multicultural Helping House Society, a 3,000 square-feet, three-level facility located at 4802 Fraser St. in Vancouver. The area is part of the proposed PinoyTown, which Avendano has opposed.
The medal presentation and other events will kick-start a year of celebrations in Canada and around the world to honour the Queen’s six decades on the throne, with a planned
Thames River pageant in June - involving up to 1,000 elaborately decorated ships in a regal flotilla - expected to be the main jubilee show-stopper.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
