2022 Municipal Award Recipients

Liam Fowler is a junior athlete who maintains an academic average of 96% and volunteers, in addition to playing a variety of sports. He’s a hockey player, ball hockey player, runner, and ultimate frisbee player. In his free time, Liam coaches minor baseball and hikes and cycles around the province, in fact in has hiked all 500 kilometres of the East Coast Trail. Liam is described as a well-round individual who excels academically and exemplifies athleticism as a player and teammate.

Hannah Neville is a Grade 9 honour student at Mount Pearl Intermediate who excels at soccer. At 14 years old she was a starter on the Under 17 soccer team, the youngest player on the provincial Canada Games team, Captain of the Under 15 provincial soccer team, and a participant in the Vancouver Whitecaps NL prospects training team. Hannah also found time to coach the girls Under 11 soccer team and to referee at soccer tournaments for the 7 to 15 age groups.

Connie Gullage is a dedicated runner who decided just five years ago to pursue a long-term goal of completing a full marathon. She works full time, has a young family and is a dedicated volunteer, and still finds time to commit training. Connie has completed five marathons, including the Boston Marathon, 20 half marathons, seven Tely 10 races and six Cape to Cabot races. Last year, she completed the Tely 10, two marathons and two half marathons. Connie is also a supportive member of the running community in Paradise offering support and encouragement to other runners to meet their own goals. 

Steve Nolan is a trampoline coach with Campia Gymnastics who is described as having an incredible eye for the technical details and is able to connect and provide precise alterations to help improve each athlete he coaches. He is a dependable and dedicated individual who genuinely wants to help athletes achieve their dreams. Steve was the coach for an athlete who placed first at the 2021 Elite Canada Competition and named Trampoline Coach of the Year with Campia. He also mentors others, helping them to foster and develop strong coaching skills.

Keira Gullage is a dedicated youth who fully commits to her schoolwork, environmental and social causes. She is a Grade 12 honour student who plays on both the male and female High School Rugby teams. Keira also participates in cheer and has her junior lifeguard certificate. She is a Guider and a participant in the Miss Achievement newfoundland and Labrador Leadership Program representing the Town of Paradise. Keira was named one of 30 EF Canadian Youth Ambassadors, selected from over 1500 applicants across Canada. She has also travelled to the Dominican Republic to volunteer at a local school teaching English. Aside from maintaining top marks, volunteering, and winning scholarships, she also finds time for a part-time job.

Judy Sparkes has led a life of service. Since returning to her hometown of Paradise, after serving in the Canadian Armed Forces for 35 years, she has dedicated much of her time to being a volunteer. She is a charter member of the Paradise Centennial Lions Club and has been the club secretary since its inception. This year, also volunteered at the Gathering Place to provide meal service and to distribute recycled eyeglasses at a clinic hosted by Team Broken Earth. Judy has helped to collect food and donations for the food bank and joined with her club members for a Town cleanup day. Last year she was a member of the Paradise 50th Anniversary Committee and supported all the festivities and celebrations. She has also volunteered for other Town events and initiatives, including Snow and Ice, Sun Splash, Avalon Dragons and Canada Day Celebrations. Judy is proud of her hometown and will do what she can to make Paradise a great place to live.

Mary Anne Dillon has been volunteering in Paradise for over 40 years. She is a member of the Kin Club, a Guide leader, and volunteers with the heart and Stroke Foundation, the Kidney Foundation, and the Avalon Dragons. Mary Anne is well-respected within her volunteer groups and is known as a strong advocate for youth. She was instrumental in the Guiding movement in Paradise, serving in a variety of capacities, including at the District and Provincial levels. She supports all community initiatives and it’s said that she promotes her service and youth clubs every chance she gets. This volunteer never puts herself first, and this was certainly evident last year. As we all faced the COVID-19 pandemic, Mary Anne also faced her own medical challenges, but none of that interfered with her volunteer commitments.

Catalyst Health Solutions started as home-based business, at the kitchen table to be exact, in 2016. Based on the core values of collaboration, access and innovation, over the past six years the business has grown to a team of over 50 health professionals. They strive to evolve to an ever-changing environment continually providing the community with access to medical services. Offering an array of health care services, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company adapted to offer testing, assist with the vaccination process and start the accreditation process to operate their own private laboratory.

R&M Self Storage will celebrate its 15th anniversary this year. Opened in 2007, this company has continually grown and has achieved a 95percent occupancy rate, is number 1 in sales in the province and number 3 in Atlantic Canada for U-Haul. They are dedicated to providing a quality workplace for their employees and stayed open during the global pandemic providing continued employment for their staff and service to their customers. In addition, at the start of the pandemic, they committed to a price freeze to allow stability for their customers. Dedicated to giving back, this company has supported and donated to the Paradise Kins Club, the Avalon Dragons, Paradise 905 Viking Air Cadets and the Salvation Army.

Ace WetClean is a small business focused on community convenience and environmental concerns while providing dry cleaning services. The store front is clean and well-organized. Recently, the business installed 24/7 exterior lockers outside the store so that customers can do drop-off and pick-up any time all while keeping the area clean and organized and items secure.

Get Messy NL is a business which has had to pivot several times since Snowmagedon and COVID-19 global pandemic. When they had to close their physical location due to public health requirements, the company moved to online platforms. They started offering birthday parties through virtual meetings with contactless pick-up of items. They offered a variety of free classes online to help children and youth have activities when they couldn’t leave their homes. Dedicated to supporting and giving back to the community, this company has hosted several fundraisers supporting Candlelighters, the Janeway Foundation, Ronald McDonald House and others.