Building Healthy Communities

The City of St. John’s values the contributions of its volunteers and the impact that they have on the community as a whole.

The Building Healthy Communities Volunteer Award recognizes residents who have volunteered their time to support healthier environments within the City of St. John’s. This award recognizes volunteers who are establishing healthier environments and enhancing the community by providing residents with the opportunity to lead healthier lives.

This award is open to all ages and has three categories (Youth award; Community Group award; Adult/Senior award) but nominee(s) must be a resident of the City of St. John’s. All achievements reflected in the nomination must be voluntary/unpaid in nature. Volunteer service must improve the quality of life and well-being of citizens based on how they contribute to one or several, of the following ‘Healthy Community’ categories:

Healthy Neighbourhoods and People
Social and Community Connections
Environment and Sustainability
Transportation
Inclusion
Housing

The awards are presented annually during Volunteer Recognition Week.

Nomination Form

2021 Building Healthy Communities Award Recipients
	Hannah Murphy – Youth Recipient Volunteering has been an important part of Hannah’s life for some time now. Volunteering with the City of St. John's Together in Movement and Exercise Program has become near and dear to her heart over the past year. The program captured her attention because it is inclusive, and she believes that everyone should have access to a safe and fun environment to stay active. Hannah loves watching participants build confidence and hearing their feedback about how this creates independence in their everyday lives. The program is complementary to her volunteer work in Dr. Michelle Ploughman's Recovery and Performance Laboratory, where research focuses on the effects of exercise on the brain challenged by disease. Hannah also volunteers as a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters Go Girls Program where she guides young girls in building an appreciation for a healthy lifestyle. Hannah’s role on the Psychology and Behavioural Neuroscience Society at Memorial University allows her to volunteer in organizing outreach events that are important to her, such as clothing drives and city clean-ups. As a full-time student, volunteering gives Hannah the opportunity to take a study break, get moving, and build relationships with a strong and inspirational community.
	Charles Murphy – Adult Recipient Charlie Murphy (he, him, they, them) is a long-time activist and volunteer that has supported several local and national organizations. With a passion for events, fundraising and community supports he has been a co-facilitator for the local Pflag St. John’s Chapter for 10 years, a peer support group for 2SLGBTQIA+ community members. He Co-founded Raise Up Fundraising, an organization created to support unserved populations across the province and has been part of raising over $40,000 for community initiatives through several fun fundraisers like their signature event “Drag Bingo”. He is also one of the co-founders of Quadrangle NL, a provincial 2SLGBTQIA+ community centre that received charitable status in December 2019 and is currently working towards a physical space for community members and organizations. He has used his graphic design skills to support organizations like St. John’s Pride with their logo and other materials as a past board member in 2014 and 2015. He currently sits on a number of boards and committees like The Enchante Network as the NL rep, Reaching Home Indigenous NL and the provincial Vulnerable Population Task Group. Charlie is honoured to be receiving this award celebrating his volunteer work from the City of St. John’s and for being nominated by a community member that saw his efforts towards community.

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