Immigrants of Distinction Awards; A Night to Remember

On Friday, March 19, 2010, over 400 guests gathered at the Westin, Calgary to celebrate the success of outstanding immigrants in Calgary. Attendees included the honourable Ed Stelmach, Premier of Alberta, the Honourable Thomas Lukaszuk, Minister of Alberta Employment and Immigration, and the Honourable Yvonne Fritz, Minister of Children and Youth Services. The ceremony, emceed by Nirmala Naidoo of CBC and Erin Strate of SHAW TV, was one of laughter and tears as it honoured the exemplary accomplishments of immigrants in our city.

The evening continued with an international reception with food from around the world, multicultural entertainment and many new friends.

Congratulations to our 2010 Immigrants of Distinction Award Recipients:

Arts and Culture: Ms. Karin Richter 
Business: Ms. Bea Twumasi 
Community Service: Ms. Idrees A. Khan 
Distinguished Professional: Dr. Wael Badawy 
Youth Scholarship Recipients: Ms. Daria Tilimpea, Mr. Jethro Cheung, Ms. Malithi Fernando, Ms. Mei Mu Zi (Annie) Zheng, Ms. Shayna Ding

The distinguished Hadassah Ksienski award was posthumously granted to the exceptional Genevieve Balogun.

Immigrant Services Calgary would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our sponsors, guests, staff, volunteers, and board of directors who made this year's gala another great success."