“The Heroes for Children awards recognize and celebrate remarkable Canadians for their passion and work to make a positive difference in the lives of vulnerable children,” said Michael Messenger, President and CEO, World Vision Canada. “In this unprecedented time in all our lives and our world, we are so grateful to this year’s recipients, who have demonstrated their philanthropy and service through volunteer work, raising awareness or using their influence to help children around the world. When we work together, we can accomplish so much more.” (Source)
The recipients of the Courage Award for 2020 are Rev. Verner Drost and Bernie Zebarth for their work in FreddyLink. The Courage award recognizes individuals who volunteered their time to help improve the lives of children, families and communities.
FreddyLink began in 2009 when a few local leaders wondered aloud if the residents of Fredericton, New Brunswick, could join together to help fight global issues like poverty. The group approached World Vision to partner and determined they wanted to connect with a community in Haiti. Over the years, this unique partnership between the city of Fredericton, two communities in Haiti’s central plateau region, and World Vision has helped thousands of children and families get access to clean water, supported economic empowerment programs like woodworking, sewing and animal husbandry, education, health, nutrition, hygiene and child protection. Rev. Drost, church liaison, and Dr. Zebarth, the project coordinator, have given hundreds of volunteer hours to support the FreddyLink initiative. (Source)
Verner Drost and Bernie Zebarth receive their Hero for Children award from World Vision Canada
