Silver Award Talk #1

The Inaugural Silver Award Holder Talk will take place on Wednesday June 22^nd at 7 PM ET via Zoom. Registration is now open! Click here to register. 

Keynote Speaker

Mark Arendz, OPEI, PLY 

Being competitive by nature, Mark took a liking to sports at a very young age. He began skiing in the backyard when he was about five years old. At the age of seven, he was involved in a farm accident resulting in the amputation of his left arm. While the accident was initially a major shock, it did not deter him from pursuing his love of sport and competition. Now Mark is a Gold Award Holder, four-time Paralympian, with twelve Paralympic medals. Hear his story of resiliency and how to achieve what might seem impossible.

Gloria Chan

Gloria is an avid participant in adapted sports and an advocate for inclusive recreation. In particular, she enjoys sharing her passion for the sport of wheelchair basketball, of which she is an athlete, coach, volunteer, and ambassador. Her passion has been met with many opportunities to raise awareness for wheelchair basketball as an integrated sport in Canada, where people with or without disabilities can play together on a level playing field. This includes founding and coordinating a wheelchair basketball program with UBC Recreation at her university, volunteering at outreach events with BC Wheelchair Basketball Society (BCWBS), as well as organizing Try-It sessions for the first Duke of Ed Passion to Purpose (P2P) Leadership Forum at the University of Regina, Saskatchewan in August 2018. Outside of physical recreation, Gloria is currently in her 4th year of the Entry-to-Practice Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Program at the University of British Columbia and is a highly motivated student leader who is actively involved in various extracurricular activities within the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 

Breakout Room Speakers:

Anthony Ferens – Careers Breakout Room 

Anthony (He/Him) is a Gold Award Holder, Actor, Director, Writer, Painter and Instructor, born on Treaty One Territory. He has training from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Recreational Division and holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in acting from the University of Winnipeg. Selected theatre credits included: Rocky Horror Show with Wasteland Productions, New Beginnings with Sarasvati Productions, The Rest of the Rabbit with University of Winnipeg, and Heathers the Musical with Winnipeg Studio Theatre. He is the owner of Antonius Art Studio and teaches private lessons where he helps artists build their creative profile. In Anthony’s free time, he enjoys watching movies, travel, and cooking.

Jake Shillington- Gold Project Breakout Room 

Jake hails from Saint John New Brunswick and is a graduate of UNBSJ with a BA in sociology and criminal justice.  A recent Gold Award Holder, Jake exemplified the Award’s “out the box thinking” by finding a creative Gold Project to complete during the pandemic.  Helping with Loch Lomond Villa’s “Cycling Without Age” program, Jake was able to complete his Gold Project while making a positive impact in his community. Check out Jake’s Gold Project here: Cycling Without Age

Peter Lawless – Mentoring Breakout Room 

Peter is a respected litigator and dedicated coach with a passion for coaching and developing high-performance athletes. He has served on the Canadian Olympic & Paralympic Committees and is a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.  A Gold Award Holder, Peter has been a speaker at a Gold Ceremony as well as at our newly launched Alumni Masterclass series.

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