A well known Sarnian has received the YMCA's 2016 Peace Medallion Award in the Individual Category.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Executive Director Mike Hurry was presented the award, which recognizes unsung heroes in the community who give give their own time and money to make a positive difference in the world, at Monday's Rotary Club luncheon at the Best Western Guildwood Inn.
"It really is an honour and it's a huge surprise too," says Hurry. "Nobody expects to be getting awards. You do all the things in your life you think is important and try to give back to the community and to get this recognition is really very much appreciated."
Hurry has been very involved in the community for many years.
"I've been a volunteer with the [YMCA] for a number of years, I've been a volunteer with Rotary, probably has something to do with the work I've done with Big Brothers Big Sisters," he says. "The fact that we started taking people overseas for experiences in other cultures and third world countries has been a big part of my life for the last to years."
He says going to a third world country makes you appreciate how lucky we are to live in Canada.
"Anybody that's gone on one of these trips with me, has been really changed, I think, in how they perceive their life. I just took a group to Nepal and one of the young boys that was with me, a 17-year-old, said 'I'm never going to complain about anything ever again,' and I think he just realized how lucky he was here and how difficult life was for the vast majority of the world," says Hurry.
YMCA President and CEO Jim Janzen says they've been awarding a peace medallion as part of World Peace Week for the past 30 years.
"Through adventure travel and through Mike and his wife Deb's work in giving folks a chance and connecting with young people, he's a shining example of someone who's committed to the principles of peace," says Janzen.
