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Congratulations to Joan Brownlow on receiving the Outstanding Community Award from the RTO, District 22, of which Joan is a member.

The award was presented to Joan on Tuesday May 6 in Toronto at a reception in the Old Mill Toronto Restaaurant.

RTOERO DISTRICT 22 COMMUNITY AWARD NOMINATION:  JOAN MARTIN BROWNLOW

It is highly unusual that one of the busiest volunteers in the Aurora Seniors Centre is 90-year-old Joan Martin Brownlow.  To top that, Joan has been an active volunteer over her long life and clearly is not slowing down. 

Volunteering in one’s area of passion certainly makes for more fun.  At the heart of Joan’s volunteer work is the arts. While teaching in Toronto and Etobicoke, Joan always made time to conduct student choirs and directed students in plays.  In 1995, Joan was nominated for the Award of Excellence in Teaching, quite the honour. 

In retirement, while living near Fergus, Joan directed and acted in plays and also kept busy in her governance role as Chair of the Board of Directors in her housing community.  In the past 10 years, her starring role has been in Aurora.  The Silver Stars Theatre Group entertains at the Aurora Seniors Centre, which kept her engaged as she served as the Director for 8 years. Choosing the plays, auditioning the cast members and assisting with stage set, props, costumes and preparing the printed programmes all the while memorizing her own lines as one of the actors, Joan is the energizer bunny!

The Aurora Seniors Centre boasts a membership close to 2000, with a very busy roster of activities.  Joan has been a member of the Special Events Committee for 9 years and has served as Chair for six years.  During COVID, Joan booked speakers and entertainers who performed for the members on ZOOM.  The Committee continues its work today, booking entertainers and speakers for the members and wider community.  From idea to price point of tickets, from advertisement to food for the intermission, Joan takes the lead.  Of course, someone must take pictures for the website and clean up after the event…. that’s Joan and her committee for this community in northern GTA.

Not quite as exciting though, Joan was on another Seniors Centre committee, the Operations and Activities Committee.  This group helps order and buy the equipment, tools and games needed that further enrich life at the Centre.  Bocci ball, pickle ball, mahjong just to name a few of the many activities that help members enjoy life and stay active as seniors in this vibrant community.  

It’s pretty clear that Joan likes to organize and is very good at it.  This busy lady assists with the Evergreen Choir, another ASC group and maintains the membership data base for the 32 members.  Not all volunteer work for Joan is fun and games and singing and acting.  While she’s busy with everything else, she compiles a list of all members that live in her Adult Lifestyle Condominium, keeping it up to date with names, suites, phone numbers and contact information.  She realizes that this helps the residents stay in touch with one another and her work is very much appreciated. After all, isolation is the enemy of this demographic.

Other community work bears mentioning here.  Joan was a member of the Probus Club of Aurora, an organization that provides social events and speakers that keep members up to date on community issues.  Not simply a member, she served there as Secretary, Vice President and President. 

Joan knows that at the heart of all communities are the helpers, the volunteers.  Her work continues. She recently joined the Adult Choir at the Aurora Marquis Theatre.  Keep singing Joan! 

Respectfully submitted by Janet Thacker, Secretary D22