Fleming College

Peterborough ON – (November 5, 2014) – Fleming College is recognizing two individuals for their outstanding commitment to volunteerism with the Brian L. Desbiens Community Service Awards.

Community organizer and volunteer Jim Blake of Haliburton will receive the external award while Josh Feltham, a faculty member at the Frost Campus, will receive the internal award. The awards will be presented at a recognition lunch at the Sutherland Campus on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.

Josh Feltham is the program coordinator of the Applied and Community-Based Research program at Frost Campus in Lindsay.

Josh’s nomination described him as being generous with his time, knowledge and experience. He is always willing to help, is well-respected, and has a good work ethic. Josh is committed to the college, his students, his local community, his country and the environment on a global scale, the nomination stated.

In addition to his global research efforts in Costa Rica, where he works with a grass roots organization to help facilitate marine turtle conservation and community-based conservation, Josh is sharing his expertise provincially by actively conducting research on the endangered five-lined skink, Ontario’s only lizard. He is also conducting studies on road ecology, a new sub-discipline of ecology that focuses on the interactions between road systems and the natural environment.

His volunteer experience includes assisting with the Trent Aboriginal Cultural Knowledge and Science (TRACKS) Youth Program, which combines indigenous knowledge and scientific principles. Josh serves as Vice-Chair of the Environmental Advisory Committee of Kawartha Lakes, advising Council and educating the public on local environmental issues. He is also on the Board of the Trent Centre for Community Based Education.

Josh volunteers his time with many events such as the Ontario Envirothon Championships and the Ontario BioBlitz. At the Frost Campus, he has initiated and participated in a new series of faculty debates, which aims to generate discussion around topics of interest for students and faculty.

Jim Blake is a community organizer and volunteer. His nomination describes him as someone who volunteers for numerous arts organizations and activities in the Haliburton community, often leading or chairing the committees he is a part of.
Jim is further celebrated as passionate, engaged, extremely knowledgeable, and an excellent facilitator. But he is not only committed to the arts. Jim is also very active in the economic growth and prosperity of Haliburton, serving as a mentor to many artists, organizations, and businesses in need of advice and support.

His volunteer activities are extensive and include:
• Co-founder and president of the Haliburton County Community Co-operative;
• Instrumental in developing and contributing to the Haliburton Creative Business Incubator;
• Co-founder and treasurer of the Communities in Action Committee, which developed Active Transportation Plans for three local communities;
• Co-founder and Chair of the U-Links Centre for Community-Based Research and board member of the Trent Centre for Community-Based Education;
• Curator of the Haliburton Sculpture Forest and Chair of the Glebe Park Committee;
• Steering committee member of the Haliburton County Shoreline Classification Initiative, a project focused on shoreline naturalization in over 45 lakes.
• Co-founder and Chair of the Artists-in-the-Schools program, which places local artists in all of the elementary schools in Haliburton County.

About the Brian L. Desbiens Community Service Awards
The Brian L. Desbiens Community Service Awards were created to recognize citizens who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to, and concern for, their community, country or beyond. Within volunteer work and through their career these candidates have exceeded expectations, putting their ideas and skills to practical use for the benefit of others. One award is given to an employee of the college while another is awarded externally, to a citizen of the communities the college serves.

 

About Fleming College
Located in the heart of Central Ontario, Fleming College has campus locations in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Haliburton. Named for famous Canadian inventor and engineer Sir Sandford Fleming, the college features more than 100 full-time programs in Arts and Heritage, Business, Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, General Arts and Science, Health and Wellness, Justice and Community Development, Skilled Trades and Technology, and Continuing Education. Fleming College has 5,900 full-time and 10,000 part-time students, and more than 68,000 alumni.
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For more information:
Laura Copeland
Communications Officer
laura.copeland@flemingcollege.ca
705.749.5530 x 1370