(Fort McMurray, AB – Friday, June 9, 2023) – FuseSocial is pleased to announce the recipients of the Heart of Wood Buffalo Excellence Awards. The Heart of Wood Buffalo awards have been a pillar of FuseSocial since 2011, proudly celebrating the values of social impact and community throughout our region.
“It is always a pleasure to gather each year for the Heart of Wood Buffalo Excellence Awards to celebrate the many remarkable individuals and organizations in Wood Buffalo.” says Michelle Lange, Interim Executive Director of FuseSocial.
The call for nominations launched in February 2023 and more than 60 nominations were received to recognize leaders, humanitarians and organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life in the region. The top three nominees in each category were recognized on FuseSocial’s Facebook and LinkedIn over the past month, and winners were announced at the annual Heart of Wood Buffalo Excellence Awards ceremony on the evening of Wednesday, June 7th. This year’s event was presented by Suncor Energy, with additional sponsorships generously given by: Birch Mountain Enterprises, SMS Equipment, Elite Promotional Marketing and the NorthStar Ford Wood Buffalo Volunteer Centre.
“The nominees and recipients of the 2023 Heart Awards truly represent what it means to give your heart to your community. This dynamic group of volunteers, leaders and philanthropists should be incredibly proud, and FuseSocial is honoured to help give them the recognition and praise they deserve.” says Lange.
FuseSocial would like to congratulate the following community members and winners of the 2023 Heart of Wood Buffalo Excellence Awards. Please join us in congratulating each of this year’s recipients:
Social Profit Leadership Award: Michelle Toner
Board Leadership Award: Chantal Beaver
Philanthropy Award: Fort Mac Hockey Bros
Community Impact Award: Northern Trailblazers Basketball
Newcomer Engagement Award: Michelle Hand
Volunteer Recognition Award: Jennifer Vardy
Collaboration of the Year Award: Wood Buffalo 2023 Arctic Winter Games
Honorary Community Recovery and Prosperity Award: Guy Coquet
In addition to celebrating community leaders that evening, guests were able to bid on silent auction items using only their volunteer hours. More than 400 volunteer hours were raised through the NorthStar Ford Wood Buffalo Volunteer Centre and will in turn support local organizations through various volunteer opportunities posted on wbvolunteers.ca.
For more information on this year’s nominees or the Heart of Wood Buffalo Excellence Awards, visit heartofwoodbuffalo.ca.
About FuseSocial
FuseSocial is a trusted leader in the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo social profit community and is dedicated to strengthening the capacity of all social profit agencies through education, development, innovation, research, volunteerism and collaboration. FuseSocial plays an active role in the continued development of the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo social profit sector by participating in and leading various community initiatives aimed at identifying social needs and building sustainable, community-based solutions.
For more information, please contact:
Michelle Lange, Interim Executive Director
587.570.7051
michelle.lange@fusesocial.ca