What do a 16-year-old student, a longtime firefighter, a dance teacher and a lifelong rodeo volunteer have in common?
They're all among the top citizens of Surrey honoured in the Surrey Now-Leader's 2024 Community Leader Awards.
Each year for the past 22 years, the Surrey Now-Leader has honoured the unsung heroes of the Surrey community.
The annual Community Leader Awards recognize those who serve the community in a variety of capacities, working tirelessly to make their community a better place to live, work and play.
The 2024 awards were presented at a special ceremony held Thursday, Nov. 21 at Westfield Country Club.
The ceremony recognized winners and honourable mentions in nine categories: Emergency Services Leader, Environmental Leader, Coach, Teacher, Volunteer, Youth Volunteer, Community Builder, Above & Beyond, and Leader of the Year.
Here's the 2024 roster of winners. You can click the name of each winner to read more about them.
Emergency Services Leader (sponsored by Surrey Fire Fighters Association)
- Top Honour: Chris Szostak
- Honourable Mention: Aaron Cyr
Environmental Leader (sponsored by Central City Shopping Centre)
- Top Honour: Suhana Gill
- Honourable Mention: Sebastian Sajda
Coach (sponsored by Kids Play Youth Foundation)
- Top Honour: Leslie Kuny
- Honourable Mention: David Dryden
Teacher (sponsored by Guildford Orthodontics)
- Top Honour: Nicole Porter
- Honourable Mention: Tajinder Rai
Volunteer (sponsored by Surrey Food Bank)
- Top Honour: Mike Sandford
- Honourable Mention: Evelyn (Hodgins) Wedley
Youth Volunteer (sponsored by Maduke Balat Orthodontists)
- Top Honour: Hanna Grover
- Honourable Mention: Gurleen Sran
Community Builder (sponsored by Western Community College)
- Top Honour: Kathy Sheppard
- Honourable Mention: Coral Henshaw
Above & Beyond (sponsored by Sameer & Ankur Kaushal)
- Top Honour: Lauren Simpson
- Honourable Mention: Iris Solorzano
Leader of the Year (sponsored by Community Savings Credit Union)
- Top Honour: Sanya Grover
- Honourable Mention: Dr. Aly Kanani
You can also read about the honourees in the Thursday, Nov. 28 print edition of Surrey Now-Leader.
