Four recipients were honoured by Lanark County Council on Wednesday evening for their work to enhance life in the community.
The Awards of Excellence were handed to Wendy O’Keefe, Christine Row, Linda McGreevy and Thomas Cavanagh Construction.
O’Keefe Mississippi Mills is Volunteer Consultant-Public Relations and Marketing for Home Hospice North Lanark (HHNL). This “hospice without walls” works through education, advocacy,
presence and companionship and support to enhance well-being of individuals, and their caregivers, who experience life-limiting illness and bereavement. Her nominator, Mary Anne Harrison, said O’Keefe’s role has increased over 10 years from making business cards for HHNL to creating and maintaining an online presence for the organization, leading and coordinating fundraising efforts,
helping with publications and presentations, and training. The organization receives no government funding to support its free service, and client numbers have tripled in the past year.
Christine Row is CEO of the Mississippi Mills Public Library (MMPL) and was nominated by Jill McCubbin, who highlighted initiatives spearheaded by Row that have gone on to benefit citizens across Lanark County. “Christine has a vision for a safe, equitable and dynamic community,” McCubbin said, adding she leads by example and excels at community building and service, which benefits young families, children and vulnerable populations. A key initiative undertaken by Row is the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program for youth aged 8 to 17. It began in 2020 and includes teaching skills in 3D printing, video game development, virtual reality software development and LEGO robotics, which leads toward careers in many fields. Similar programs offered elsewhere are costly, and a lack of access to them was identified as a disadvantage for rural youth. In 2023, Row and her team organized and secured funding to run STEM at all Lanark Libraries (Mississippi Mills, Carleton Place, Lanark Highlands, Perth and Smiths Falls), benefiting young people across Lanark County. Row is working on ways to expand STEM for future years and funding for 2024 is being secured.
Linda McGreevy of Carleton Place is chair and campaign advisor for the Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital (CPDMH) Foundation. Her nominator, Robyn Arseneau, Executive Director of the
foundation, highlights McGreevy’s “tireless efforts, financial gifts and selfless dedication” to the CPDMH Foundation, Carebridge Community Support and Lanark County Interval House (LCIHCS) as
examples of the spirit of this award. “Her passion for giving back to her community is nothing short of inspirational. She has not only provided invaluable leadership and monetary gifts to the organizations
she loves, but has also invested countless hours in lending her talents to shaping the direction of our local Lanark County community as a whole.” McGreevy has more than 30 years’ experience in professional fundraising, which she focused on her local community upon retirement. She joined the CPDMH Foundation board in 2018 and became chair in 2021, contributing thousands of volunteer hours and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars. Arseneau says her dedication to the foundation’s mission helped shape its direction through the 2022-2028 strategic plan, ensuring funds will continue to be raised well into the future. “Her extensive fundraising experience, primarily in health care, has proven invaluable in assisting the foundation in raising essential funds for our hospital. These funds have been instrumental in meeting the hospital’s ongoing need for new equipment and funding critical capital projects like the construction of the new emergency department.”
Thomas Cavanagh Construction Limited (TCCL), located in Beckwith Township, was nominated by Faye Campbell. The company was founded almost 70 years ago by Tom and Kay Cavanagh. Tom began the company with his brothers Gerald and Terry after he returned from working on them construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Today the business employs more than 1,200 people, most of whom are Lanark County residents, and son Jeff and daughter Lori have taken over the reins. Campbell noted numerous instances when TCCL has helped for the benefit of the entire county. During the Ice Storm of 1998, they supplied generators to county municipalities so people could stay warm, have a shower and get a hot meal. They also used their equipment to help clear roads of fallen trees.
