Arts and culture leaders among recipients of 2022 BC Achievement Foundation's Community Award
Winners receive a medallion designed by Haida and Tlingit artist Robert Davidson
Charissa Tonnesen.
Kamal Sharma.
BC ACHIVEMENT FOUNDATION has announced the recipients of the 19th annual Community Award.
The independent foundation honours excellence and inspires achievement throughout the province, while the award recognizes British Columbians who build better, stronger, and more resilient communities.
The 2022 award went to 20 entrepreneurs, community leaders, youth, and volunteers in a range of sectors, including B.C.’s arts and culture community.
Vancouver artist Carmen Rosen founded the Still Moon Arts Society after moving to the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood and joining clean-up crew for the Renfrew Ravine, a remnant woodland with a small section of Still Creek running through it. From there, the Moon Festival was born. Inspired by the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, the all-ages Moon Festival integrates community, the arts, and the environment. Partnerships with organizations such as the Evergreen Foundation, BCIT Rivers Institute, and Environmental Youth Alliance has led to ongoing care of the area. In 2017, Rosen published What Comes to Light: Stories of Still Creek Lost and Found.
Surrey’s Kamal Sharma has been involved in the entertainment business for more than four decades, bridging the gap between South Asian artists, Bollywood entertainment news, and the fast-growing immigrant population in Metro Vancouver. The founder of KVP Entertainers & KVP Heritage aims to revive arts presentations from South Asia in B.C.
Charissa Tonnesen of Tumbler Ridge is a pharmacist who has served on numerous board committees, including the Tumbler Ridge Museum and its UNESCO Global Geopark as well as the Community Arts Council. An accomplished singer and guitarist, Tonnesen has been a member of the community choir for many years and supports local youth through her involvement with the annual TR Junior Idol competition, hosted by the Arts Council, and the Northern Rockies Karate-do.
Carol Camille is the executive director of the Lillooet Friendship Centre Society and a proud Secwépemc woman from Tk’emlups. When nearby Lytton was ravaged by wildfires in 2021, the LFCS was transformed into a dormitory with meals, medical attention, and counselling for evacuees; the centre stayed open during the pandemic to help people during tough times. Throughout, Camille works to ensure that traditions and culture are actively featured and promoted in every way at LFCS.
Suresh Kurl was recognized for his articles and essays on culture, equality, justice and faith in publications throughout the province, which have contributed to greater understanding and dialogue related to citizenship, multiculturalism, race relations, and interfaith harmony.
The Community Award recipients are selected by an independent committee, whose 2022 members include Mayor Maja Tait of Sooke, Mayor Clara Reinhardt of Radium Hot Springs, and past recipients Aisha Amijee and Kal Dosanjh.
Faisal Khosa, a mentor, educator, and advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion, received the Mitchell Award of Distinction, given for a person’s “unwavering commitment to elevating people around them”.
“This year’s Community Award recipients have supported their communities during exceptionally difficult times and are an inspiration to us all,” Premier John Horgan said in a release. “They have dedicated their time and energy to helping their friends and neighbours, and British Columbia is a better province because of them.”
Each recipient receives a certificate and medallion designed by renowned artist Robert Davidson, of Haida and Tlinglit descent.
For the complete list of 2022 recipients, see BC Achievement Foundation.
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