Ottawa’s most inspiring volunteers shared their stories at the 2024 VOscars Awards Gala, warming the hearts of 260 attendees at the Preston Event Centre on Oct. 22. Eight awards recognized some of the city’s most outstanding citizens, including Wayne French, a long-time volunteer with the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation and recipient of the Mayor’s Award for Volunteer Spirit, and Bharat Rudra, who received the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to TiE Ottawa, the Ottawa Heart Institute and the Indo-Canadian Community Centre.
On hand to show their appreciation of Ottawa’s amazing volunteers were Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, former mayor Jim Watson, MPP Joel Harden, Coun. Wilson Lo, and OCSB trustee Scott Phelan, along with many sponsors committed to supporting volunteerism, including Export Development Canada, OakWood, Carleton University, Algonquin College, Hydro Ottawa, Accenture, National Association of Federal Retirees, Perley‑Robertson, Hill & McDougall and YellowTree Grant Services.
To quote Bharat Rudra: “Volunteerism isn’t about lending a hand here and there. It’s about acknowledging that none of us achieves anything alone. It’s about recognizing that we are all part of something bigger, and that when we contribute to the lives of others, we enrich our own in ways we cannot measure.”
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