Three Richmondites are among 20 British Columbians being recognized for their dedication to making life better for their communities.
Richmond's Troy MacBeth Abromaitis, Rishika Selvakumar and Wendy Toyer were recently announced as this year's recipients of the BC Achievement Foundation's 2024 Community Award.
Now in its 21st year, the award honours individuals for their contributions to building better, stronger and more resilient communities.
Abromaitis, who has been in the real estate industry for more than two decades and serves in leadership positions such as the president of the Real Estate Institute of British Columbia, is dedicated to advancing urban development initiatives such as multi-family housing solutions.
He also draws upon his experience as a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation and the Lytton Indian Band, as well as a survivor of the 60s Scoop, to empower the community. Not only does Abromaitis mentor individuals navigating adversity, he also contributed to the rebuild of Lytton First Nation following the 2021 wildfires and leads visual reconciliation initiatives in Surrey and Squamish that weave Salish art and narratives into public spaces.
Selvakumar, a master of public health student at UBC, is involved in a wide range of volunteer activities stemming from her passion for mental health and sustainability. Her work in the community and on the UBC campus includes tutoring and volunteer recruitment support, participating in educational panels and donation drives and designing accessibility resources for various organizations.
Toyer, who has served as the executive director for the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Society of B.C. for 19 years, is committed to improving the lives of ALS patients in B.C. and advancing research to find a cure.
She established innovative programs such as an equipment loan program and a provincial outreach program to ensure people living with ALS receive priority attention and care, conceived an annual summer program for young people affected by ALS and recently spearheaded a collaboration with UBC and the provincial government to advance ALS research and clinical care.
A formal presentation ceremony will be held in Victoria, B.C. on May 8, where each awardee will receive a medallion designed by B.C. artist Robert Davidson OC, OBC.
The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. and can be watched live online or after the event on Telus' Optik TV Channel 707.
To learn more about the award and for a full list of recipients, visit BC Achievement Foundation's website https://www.bcachievement.com/award/bc-achievement-community-award-2024/.
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