The Blueridge Awards
The Blueridge Awards are given to residents who go out of their way to make a difference to the community. Thanks to local resident Toby Barazzuol of Eclipse Awards, we have beautiful awards to honor residents in our community. Note that not all annual awards are given out each year. We count on your nominations to pass them on to deserving individuals!
Award Details and Past Winners:
Blueridge Spirit Award – Recognizes residents who show enthusiasm and passion for the community. This “pay it forward” award is passed on when the current holder of the award selects a new winner within three months.
Mary Stern and Tristan Patterson
The latest recipients of the Blueridge Spirit Award are Tristan Patterson and Mary Stern. Sarah Manvell shares why she chose them:
It’s an absolute pleasure to share the incredible contributions of two remarkable members of our Blueridge community: Tristan and his mom, Mary. When I thought about who I would nominate for the Blueridge Spirit award, there was no hesitation—Tristan and Mary were at the top of my mind! And how exciting to be giving this award to our first young adult AND a mom and son duo. Tristan and Mary have been living in Blueridge for the past few years, and together they’ve created a welcoming and vibrant community by introducing a community of chess players to people of all ages. Before diving into that, let me share a little more about Tristan’s journey with chess.
Tristan (now in grade 9 at Windsor) started playing chess at the age of five, learning from his dad. By the time he was nine, he was competing at a provincial level. These intense tournaments, held at UBC, bring together around 100 players, all vying for top spots. “The atmosphere is incredibly focused,” Tristan explains. “It’s fun outside the game, but when you’re in that room, you need to be laser-focused.” Tristan shares that the hours of practice, online games, and competition can be emotional, but he’s learned not to get discouraged. “You really get to represent yourself,” he says, and his advice to slow down and remain positive is something we can all take to heart. Tristan shares that after tournaments he spends time reflecting on his games with his family, his biggest supporters!
In Grade 7, Tristan, with a friend, started the Chess Club at Braemar Elementary, which they ran independently every Wednesday at lunch for all grades. When the Blueridge Good Neighbour Day was reinstated in 2023, Mary volunteered for the Youth Committee and asked Tristan for his advice on the best way to get youth involved. He replied confidently, “A competition!” and didn’t hesitate to lead the planning of the first-ever chess tournament at BGND, applying for and receiving a youth community grant from the North Shore Neighbourhood House to fund clocks and chess boards. As they prepared to transition to high school, Tristan, with the support of his mom Mary, launched the Blueridge Chess Club. They began with a small tournament, which my son had the pleasure of attending and enjoyed. It was heartwarming to see the joy chess brought to people of all ages. Fast forward to 2024, when Tristan took things up a notch during Blueridge Good Neighbour Day, expanding the age group with the tournament attracting a wide range of players, from 8 years old to 81 years old (shout out to Ernest McMurray from Parkgate Chess Club, who took second place!).
Beyond chess, Tristan is also a dedicated athlete, participating in hockey, soccer, cross country, and track and field. He truly has a packed schedule and even helps out his parents with coaching his sister’s soccer team! When I asked what advice they had for those looking to improve their chess skills, both Tristan and Mary had some excellent suggestions. First and foremost, “find friends who also play chess,” they recommend. Online platforms like Chess.com are also fantastic for learning and practicing, and Tristan uses this platform to help prepare for those competitive provincial tournaments. Mary also recalled a memorable chess tournament Tristan participated in through the North Vancouver School District in 2023. The friendly and welcoming atmosphere of the event, with plenty of local players, made it a wonderful opportunity to build friendships while honing in on your chess skills. If you’re interested, the same tournament will take place this year on May 5th at Sutherland Secondary (check the NVSD website for details).
Perhaps what Tristan and Mary are most excited about is the upcoming 25th Blueridge Good Neighbour Day, which will be celebrated on May 25th (the 25th celebration on the 25th in ‘25—very cool, planning committee). They’re planning another fantastic chess tournament, and we can’t wait to see how the community comes together once again. Keep an eye out for the email and feel free to contact blueridgechessclub@gmail.com if you have any questions.Tristan and Mary truly embody the (BLUERIDGE) SPIRIT of community, and their efforts are an inspiration. Thank you both for everything you do!
We congratulate Tristan and Mary on their award, and we’re happy to call them neighbours!
Sarah Manvell and friends
The newest recipient of the Blueridge Spirit Award is Sarah Manvell. Here, Melissa Brotz tells us why she chose Sarah:
There are so many people in our community who deserve this award for all that they do to make Blueridge a safe and amazing place to live, and Sarah Manvell is definitely one of them. Sarah is a local resident whose two children attend Seymour Heights Elementary School. Sarah signs up for many parent volunteer jobs at the school and is a member of the Seymour Heights Parent Advisory Council (PAC). Sarah also represents the Seymour Heights PAC in the Windsor Family of Schools, which includes Seymour Heights, Blueridge, Lynnmour, and Windsor.
What I find most impressive about Sarah is her dedication and passion for traffic safety in our community, in particular, on Carnation Street in front of Seymour Heights. Sarah has spearheaded a traffic safety committee within the parent community to improve safety for children and other pedestrians on the street. This has earned her the nickname “Safety Sarah.” Currently, there are 3 parent volunteers (Sarah included) and, on occasion, their children, who wear the bright yellow vest before and after school (or when their schedules permit). Not only are they crosswalk guards, but they try to encourage no parking in “drop-off zones” and remind drivers to slow down. All things that make the street safer for our children.
Sarah is so passionate about traffic safety that she has become a director at large on the North Shore Safety Council. This year, the safety council aims to create a forum focused on some of the traffic issues that currently impact school zones. She does this not only to improve traffic safety at Seymour Heights but also for Blueridge, Windsor, Lynnmour, and other schools within North Vancouver.
What Sarah does for our community requires a lot of hard work and many volunteer hours. As residents of Blueridge, we can make her job easier by being more cognizant of traffic rules in all of our school zones. They are there for the safety of our kids.
If you are a concerned member of the community with some extra time to spare in the morning or afternoon, please reach out to Sarah to see how you can help. If you have a high school student at Windsor, ask them if they would like to volunteer with traffic safety on Carnation Street. This volunteer work WILL be counted towards their volunteer hours that are required to graduate from high school.
Thank you, Sarah, for all that you do! We appreciate you.
If you have questions or would like to help out, Sarah can be reached at: sarahmanvell@gmail.com
The BCA Board Chair – Eric Andersen – adds:
On behalf of the Blueridge Community Association’s board, I would like to congratulate you on being the latest recipient of the Blueridge Spirit Award, deservingly picked by the previous winner, Melissa Brotz.
You definitely deserve it with the amount of community work that you are doing! It’s a real pleasure for all of us to have neighbours like you living in our own community.
Thanks, again, for all you have done and continue to do for the community in Blueridge and Seymour Heights!
Melissa Brotz and Amanda Guest (with Casey)
The latest recipient of the Blueridge Spirit Award is Melissa Brotz. Here, Amanda Guest tells us why she chose Melissa:
The BCA Board Chair – Eric Andersen – adds:
Amanda Guest, Santa (Greg Harper) and Rachel Harper
The latest recipient of the Blueridge Spirit Award is Amanda Guest. The previous winner, Rachel Harper, tells us why she and Greg chose Amanda:
Amanda has served as vice chair of the Blueridge Parent Advisory Council for three years. As she told me when we first met, Amanda is dedicated to making the school the best it can be for our kids. In addition to organizing all of our parent volunteers, she is often signed up to volunteer herself. You can find her at the school popping popcorn, sorting hot lunches, or running a grade-led event like our annual tree chip and bottle drive. Most recently, she spearheaded the weeklong Scholastic book fair. We’re so grateful to have such a dedicated, enthusiastic, and all-around fabulous person in our school community! Thank you for all that you do, Amanda!
Congratulations Amanda!
The latest recipients of the Blueridge Spirit Award are Rachel and Greg Harper. Jennifer Dickson passed the award on and says:
Rachel has taken on the role of Chair for the Blueridge PAC during a challenging time of getting the school community back on track post-COVID. Implementing community traditions such as the school’s Welcome Back BBQ, Santa’s Breakfast, Family Movie Night, and most recently a Parent Social held in the school gym. These events are brand new to families with children from grades kindergarten to three, as they were cancelled during COVID, and we are thrilled to see a fabulous response and attendance from our children and parents. Rachel’s dedication to bringing back traditional events while embracing new ideas as our world changes proves how dedicated she is to our community.
Her husband Greg is also a strong supporter of the school and the Blueridge community. He is always ready to jump in with the school as needed. His involvement with Blueridge Good Neighbour Day started earlier this year when he joined the planning committee and contributed greatly to the planning for the kids’ activities as well as the site planning in general.
Congratulations to Rachel and Greg! Thanks for helping make our neighbourhood so special!
The newest winner of the Blueridge Spirit Award is Jennifer Dickson. Graham Gilley passed the award on in January 2023 and shared this:
Jennifer is one of those community members who will step up and just do what needs doing. For the past 10 years she has been involved with a wide range of community sports groups, including the North Vancouver Football Club (age group coordinator), GSL Football League (registrar), Mount Seymour Little League (treasurer, president, & vice president), NS Spring Flag Football League (registrar), District 5 Little League (treasurer), and Windsor Football (manager). WHEW! It’s a sport just reading all of that! And lest you think she’s only about sport, Jennifer has also been the Chair of the Blueridge PAC and is the current Treasurer of the Windsor PAC, for which, as the Winsor PAC Chair, I am very grateful. Jennifer is a very smart, dedicated and humble volunteer, and I thoroughly enjoy her healthy sense of humour.
Congratulations Jennifer!
The latest winner of the Blueridge Spirit Award is Graham Gilley. Colleen Dahr Mah passed the award on to him in August, and shared this:
Graham has been an active volunteer in Blueridge since moving to the community in 2011. He has been a Blueridge Community Association Board Member (traffic commitee) and helped with setting up the Blueridge Good Neighbour Days before the pandemic. He will be the Windsor PAC chair in 2022/23, and coordinated the annual “Tree Chip Up” fundraising event at Blueridge Elementary for years. He is an active participant with the North Shore Mountain Biking Association trail maintenance crew and is a Certified First Responder. Recently he signed up to be on call to help if there is an emergency in the neighbourhood until the ambulance arrives. On a personal note, he generously helped my son with mountain bike maintenance, and is always willing to give advice on a range of topics. I would like to acknowledge Graham’s altruism in this community. We all benefit from his kindness.
Congratulations Graham!
Donna Sacuta and Brian Gardiner have passed the Blueridge Spirit Award to Colleen Dahr Mah.
About this choice, Donna writes:
BLUERIDGE COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARD
May 2022
Awarded to Colleen Dahr Mah
Every three months, the Blueridge Community Spirit Award is passed on from one deserving Blueridge resident to another. Recipients show passion and commitment to the community.
Brian and I have chosen Colleen as the next recipient.
Colleen was instrumental in the establishment of the Blueridge Sharing Garden. In fact, it may well have been her idea! She gained the support of the Community Association, the District of North Vancouver, the neighbours, and from local businesses and community-minded groups to see it through to construction and completion in 2015. And she continues to volunteer and contribute to our success!
This was not the first time our paths had crossed. A random question Colleen posed in the Blueridge newsletter about the property to the east of us propelled me into a year-long research project and my eventual publication of the history of the Blair Rifle Range and the establishment of a heritage plaque on Mt. Seymour Parkway.
We have also become good friends.
Donna Sacuta
Congratulations Colleen!
Both Donna and Brian have been much involved with our community for many years, including but not limited to the following:
Recently, Brian and his Christmas Train were featured in the monthly Blueridge Bulletin and also the subject of a Mike McCardell Last Word feature on CTV. Brian and Donna also do an exceptional job every year on their Halloween displays, for the enjoyment of us all.
Donna has been involved at Blueridge Good Neighbour Day, helping out at the BCA table several times. She has also served on the BCA Board. She’s been very involved with the Blueridge Sharing Garden and was on the executive of this group for a number of years. She is still actively involved with the BSG. In addition, Donna did extensive research and wrote a paper on the history of the Rifle Range and was instrumental in the District erecting a plaque to honour the history of this area in our community.
Brian has also been involved with the Blueridge Sharing Garden, and he has taken many pictures that have been posted on the BSG’s Facebook page. In addition, he has also assisted with various repairs at the BSG (such as the shed).
Donna and Brian, we really appreciate all you’ve done for Blueridge. You deserve this award!
Barb and Jim Rennie – new Blueridge Spirit Award winners!
Although we are all fortunate to live in Blueridge, you are unlucky not to live near the east end of Whitman Avenue. Look up “neighbourhood spirit” in any dictionary, and one would find a picture of Barb and Jim Rennie. Few, if any, residents exhibit more enthusiasm and passion for our community.
Take a walk past their Whitman home, and you may see neighbours’ birthdays announced in huge letters across their front window. Free plants may await you at the curbside, and in summer, fresh-cut bouquets of flowers appear for the taking on their boulevard from daughter Isobel’s garden. Barb, the red-haired Mt. Seymour Parkway runner, or Jim, the verbose, happy hiker, might be congenially conversing with passersby.
For years at Blueridge Good Neighbour Days, they volunteered running games in the tennis courts (who could forget the Seuss-ian Gack antler ring-toss?). They routinely deliver the Blueridge newsletter (for which Barb has written numerous articles over the years). Mr. Rennie has built sets for the Windsor drama department and Barb frequently has some sort of themed booth for community participation perched on her front curb, most recently poppies for Remembrance
Day.
As close neighbours, we frequently receive scones, pancakes, and other baked goods delivered by Barb piping hot to our front doors, while Jim spends the majority of his retired time trimming Ron’s hedge, staining Perry and Caroline’s fence, cleaning Bruce and Beth’s gutters, painting Mike and Valerie’s house, or shoveling snow off Chris’s driveway.
Over the years, the Rennie household has hosted numerous neighbour gatherings for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, book signings for local authors, and even garbagemen’s birthdays. During the recent pandemic shut-downs, the Rennies have hosted two Remembrance Day services. Holiday celebrations have shifted outside to their garage.
From pet funerals to staging the Whitman Avenue Olympic Games, Barb and Jim have written the book on “neighbouring” and are worthy winners of the Blueridge Spirit Award.
Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Rennie.
Previous winners Beth Ede and Bruce Bourdon with new winners Jim and Barb Rennie.
Beth and Bruce are always coming up with great ideas for the community, like Dîner en Bleu or selling our old street signs to raise money for the BCA. They are Adopt a Street participants and frequently volunteer in the community.
Outstanding Neighbour Award — Recognizes a resident who goes above and beyond in supporting their neighbours. Residents nominate their neighbours, and the BCA board selects the winner.
Annette and John Goliath
We have new winners of the Outstanding Neighbour Award, as nominated by Lesley Brooks, who says:
The neighbours that I would like to nominate for the Outstanding Neighbour award are Annette and John Goliath, who live on Browning Place. I nominate them for the following reasons:
- Every Christmas time for about 8 years they have invited all the neighbours on Browning Place to their home for a Christmas gathering. It is the start of the Christmas season for Browning Place, and we all have a wonderful evening thanks to them!
- Earlier this year, our beloved dog, Lucy, died, and Annette arrived at our door with flowers and an empathetic condolence card. Another family of neighbours lost their beautiful dog, Birch, this last week, and Annette did the same thing for that family.
Annette and John are very kind and thoughtful folk and deserve to be recognized.
Congratulations, Annet and John, and thanks for making Blueridge a better place!
On a cold and rainy January Sunday, the BCA’s Volunteer Coordinator, Elmira Nazar, and the current BCA chair, Eric G. Andersen, met with the new Blueridge Outstanding Neighbour Award recipient, Justin Meiklem. He was kindly nominated by his neighbour, Ali Karimi, with the following excellent explanation:
I would like to nominate our neighbour, Justin, and his family for the Blueridge Outstanding Neighbour Award. If there is one person deserving of this award, it will be him. I’ll explain why below:
We are a senior couple who each has various physical conditions. This sometimes makes it hard for us to work around the house. Shortly after moving to our new place, Justin and his family came to see us. He told us to never hesitate to let him know if we needed help with anything. This was interesting in itself because we still don’t know some of our other neighbours.
We had assumed he is a nice and polite neighbour, which is a blessing for anyone, but Justin went beyond that. Every time he would see us working on something, he would come and ask if we needed help. This includes gardening, moving things around, and fixing things. He regularly mows our lawn without us asking him to do so. He has taken away our tree branches, makes sure the compost and garbage bins are in and out, and many other things. His family has also been very kind and helpful. His wife and children have been great. It makes me happy to see such good people living together as a family.
I feel very lucky to have a neighbour who helps us without even asking for his help. I know that there are many good people around us, but I think Justin should get recognition for all his kindness and goodness. Kindness is contagious, and I wish for every neighbourhood to have at least one person like Justin, who elevates the sense of joy around them and makes people live better lives through their kind and selfless acts.
Congratulations Justin!
Both Siggy and Ruth have been our neighbours for a good number of years. They are both good people dedicated to their church. I am caring for my 97-year-old mother, and Ruth often appears on my door with offerings of fresh bread or cookies. I know that I am not the only one she does this for. Siggy took over mowing our lawn due to my husband having knee surgery, and now that my husband’s back is bad, they are taking our garbage every week. Siggy also does his neighbour’s lawn on the other side from us, as she is on her own. I could not ask for more caring neighbours. I would not hesitate to go to them for help whenever needed, but I don’t even have to ask. They are always there.
Doris Behrenz, Blueridge Resident
Volunteer Award — Recognizes a volunteer who makes a special contribution to the community. Residents nominate their neighbours, and the BCA board selects the winner.
Francisca Ololo and Elmira Nazar
Francisca Ololo won the 2024 Blueridge Good Neighbour Day volunteer award. Francisca was there in the morning helping set up, helped with the concession and the Lion’s Club tent, and even stayed to help clean up. She spent her entire Saturday being part of the community and helping out with our event. Her time and dedication are truly appreciated!
This was Francisca’s ‘debut’ as a volunteer, and she was totally amazing. She immediately took a strong liking to volunteerism!
Fariba had multiple nominations, citing her passion for volunteering in the community. She has volunteered for Good Neighbour Day, Blueridge Cares, and Newsletter Delivery.