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Lord Dufferin IODE announces 2022 Citizen of the Year

March 24, 2022   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

A local resident’s hard work and commitment to making Orangeville a better place is being recognized.

The IODE Lord Dufferin Chapter presented Don Voisey with their annual Citizenship Award last Friday (March 18) afternoon at the Centre Fellowship Church (375 Hansen Blvd.).

In his honour, Lord Dufferin IODE donated $100 to Family Transition Place, as each year’s award recipient gets to choose a charity to receive a small donation.

Voisey said he’s always enjoyed volunteering in the community and is honoured to receive recognition through the Lord Dufferin IODE’s annual Citizenship Award.

“I really just like being active, and there’s all sorts of things out there that are not being done by others that’s available for volunteers to do,” said Voisey.

“It’s really satisfying to organize events or work on organizing events to fundraise, and then ultimately to get the funds out there, and work in the community.”

Voisey has been an integral part of the Orangeville community since his arrival in 1996 and has been a dedicated Rotarian since the 1980s, serving at five different clubs over the years.  

“Orangeville was very fortunate to gain such an amazing and generous citizen,” said Lily Cerveny, Citizenship Officer for Lord Dufferin IODE, before presenting Voisey with the 2022 Citizenship Award.

Cerveny also noted Voisey’s involvement in bringing about the splash pad at Fendley Park and Rotary Park’s skateboard park. She added that he consulted voluntarily on the construction of Family Transition Place’s expansion and worked with local contractors to design the pavilion near the Emergency department’s entrance at Headwaters Health Care Centre.

Other contributions by Voisey include helping with the development of the natural playground located at Island Lake, which was constructed using only natural materials. Another project at Island Lake he helped make possible was the design and construction of the trail shelter on the Vicki Barron Trail.

When looking at Voisey’s work with the Rotary Club of Orangeville Highlands, he’s played a crucial role in the Ribfest and Santa Claus parade Rotary float.

“Don’s commitments in Orangeville Rotary will continue in the future and we are looking forward to hearing about his news projects to come,” Cerveny noted.

She also spoke about some of Voisey’s contributions to the Lord Dufferin IODE.

“Over the years Don has been very generous to our IODE Lord Dufferin Chapter, such as volunteering for events, helping coordinate collaborations, by purchasing geraniums yearly, and of course by supporting everything we do,” Cerveny said.

“Don Voisey’s exemplary character and his dedication to making our Orangeville community a wonderful place to live is why we honour him with our gratitude and this special award.”

Going forward, Voisey and the local Rotary Club is collaborating with Lord Dufferin IODE and the Ontario Provincial Police to create a child identification record booklet. The booklet will provide police with important details such as DNA, to help identify missing children.

“We look forward to holding child ID clinics in our community again soon,” said Cerveny.

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