Media Release

The Heroes Among Us

The Brampton Guardian and Brampton Safe City Association are teaming up to find a local hero. We are looking for someone who is doing (or has done) something extraordinary to make our community a safer place. You can help us by nominating a person you know who is giving their time and talents to make their neighbourhood, school, or other areas of our city safer.

The person you nominate does not have to be a hero in the classic sense. We are asking you to tell us about the ‘unsung heroes’ who may be helping elderly neighbours on their street, or coaching a youth sports team, mentoring troubled teens or helping keep kids safe from traffic on their daily walk to school.

Past winners of this prestigious award include a high school principal who engaged the surrounding neighbourhoods in safety activities (2006), a community volunteer dedicated to teaching parents about car seat safety (2005), a traffic safety advocate & sports instructor (2004) and a citizen who worked selflessly to make skateboarding safer for young people (2003).

“It is especially important in these times of escalating youth violence and growing concerns about safety in our city,” says Larry Zacher, Brampton Safe City’s Executive Director, “that we recognize the people who are finding ways to keep children and adults safe from crime or injury. They are an inspiration to us all.

The successful award recipient will be chosen by the Brampton Guardian, and the 2008 Community Safety Hero award presented to that person at the 26th Annual Safe City Awards Gala on November 13, 2008. Nomination forms and the selection criteria are available at the Brampton Safe City Association by downloading the forms from their website: www.bramptonsafecity.ca or by calling 905-793-5484. The closing date for submitting nominations is Thursday, October 16.

Brampton is a city that cares about safety. We have been designated as a national safe community by the Safe Communities Foundation of Canada since 2003 because of the many safety programs we provide for people of all ages. Also, in 2007 Brampton was designated as an International Safe Community by the World Health Organization in recognition our ability to work together as a community to address injury and crime concerns. The annual Safe City Awards Gala is a celebration of the safety successes we achieve each year.