Award-winning OISE alumni receive honours for local, global service

By OISE Staff

More than 100,000 OISE alumni around the globe are changing the way the world thinks and goes about education.  Many of them are both internationally renowned and locally celebrated for advocacy and service in underserved communities.  Cathy Crowe aka “Street Nurse” who holds a Master of Education (Sociology of Education) is known for her work with homeless populations in Toronto.  She was the subject of the documentary film by Shelley Saywell “Street Nurse” (2002) and co-founded the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee which, in 1998, declared Homelessness a national disaster.  Cathy has been honoured with International Nursing Ethics Award and the Atkinson Charitable Foundation’s Economic Justice Award.  As part of OISE's centennial celebrations, she was also named to OISE's Inspiring Alumni honour roll.

Like Cathy, OISE alumni often receive honours for volunteerism and service to their communities.  On September 10, the University of Toronto celebrated several OISE alumni, including: Ariella Damelin (MEd '00; PhD '02), Mary Craig Gardner (MA '81; EdD '93), and William Marcotte (EdD '80) at the annual Arbor Awards.  Dean Julia O'Sullivan and OISE Alumni Association President Sema Kenan were on hand to honour OISE's three recipients for outstanding volunteer service to the institution at this year's ceremony, a special presentation and reception with President David Naylor and David Palmer, Vice-President, Advancement.

Ariella Damelin (MEd ’00; PhD ’02) has been involved with the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Laboratory School for more than 15 years as a parent, volunteer and advisor to the Dean of OISE. Ariella served on the Executive of the Parents’ Association in several roles including president. She is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Laboratory School representing Alumni families.

Mary Craig Gardner (MEd ’81; EdD ’95) has been an outstanding volunteer for OISE, going back to when she was a founding member of the OISE Alumni Association Executive in 1982. She was a major force in establishing OISE’s Summer Bash events and a volunteer for the institution’s Phonathons, which raised money for students’ aid.

William Marcotte (EdD ’80) was the first president of the OISE Alumni Association, which came into existence in 1982. The former chair of the Task Force on Quality Education in a Fiscally Responsible Manner has put his great negotiating and persuasive skills as a mediator to good use as a strong supporter of the alumni.
As well, OISE is proud to congratulate several other OISE alumni who received Arbor Awards for outstanding service to other U of T divisions. This year Carol Bisnath (MEd '04), Judith Friedland (MA '81; PhD '89), Cheryl Sloan (MEd '79), Elizabeth Trotter (MA '08), and Bryon Wilfert (BEd '77) were included among these honorees.

The Arbor Awards were created by the University of Toronto in 1989 to recognize volunteers for outstanding personal service to the University. Since then, U of T annually acknowledges the alumni and friends whose loyalty, dedication and generosity has added substantially to the quality of the University of Toronto experience for students, faculty, staff and alumni. The Arbor Award is a way of thanking them and letting them know that their contributions of time, energy and expertise are celebrated.

^{Photo by OISE: Mary Craig Gardner and Dean Julia O'Sullivan}

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