FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto, June 22, 2020—The Editors’ Association of Canada (Editors Canada) has announced that Alexandra Peace of Canning, Nova Scotia, is the recipient of the 2020 Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award.
Many volunteer projects are not visible to Editors Canada members, but are vitally important to the healthy existence of the association. One such position is recording secretary for the association’s national executive council (NEC). From 2014 to 2019, Peace served in this role with unflagging cheerfulness and enthusiasm.
Peace initially took the role to learn more about the way the association was run and because the position provided a good opportunity to travel. She has now been recognized as volunteer of the year not only for her dedication to this important work, but for the innovative changes and processes she developed that have led to lasting efficiency and effectiveness for the NEC, and increased transparency to Editors Canada members. In particular, Peace was commended for tracking action items, who they were assigned to and their delivery dates, as well as gathering motions from meeting minutes in a central location accessible to members on the association website.
“These process changes, though largely invisible to members, helped make the NEC work better and more openly,” said her nominators. “Alex was helping every single person in the association, even though they may not have realized it.”
Peace previously received the association’s President’s Award in 2015. In addition to acting as national recording secretary for five years, she also volunteered for the association’s national conference and served as co-coordinator of Editors Nova Scotia in its early years.
Established in 2010, the Editors Canada President’s Award for Volunteer Service recognizes outstanding service to the organization by member volunteers. From among the nominations received for the President’s Award, one nominee is selected to receive the Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award. Recipients of the 2020 President’s Award for Volunteer Service are as follows.
Maxie Bai Martin (Editors Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph)
Letitia Henville (Editors British Columbia)
Cathy McPhalen (Editors Edmonton)
Lynne Melcombe (Editors British Columbia)
Joanna Odrowaz (Editors Toronto)
Jim Taylor (Editors British Columbia)
– 30 –
About Editors Canada
Lee d’Anjou is a founding member of the Freelance Editors’ Association of Canada and remains a guiding force in the association now known as Editors Canada. She is a champion of professional standards of editing, a pioneer of the association’s certification program, and one of the association’s most recognized and outstanding volunteers.
Additional information about the President’s Award for Volunteer Service and the Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award can be found on the Editors Canada website.
Editors Canada began in 1979 as the Freelance Editors’ Association of Canada to promote and maintain high standards of editing. In 1994, the word “Freelance” was dropped to reflect the association’s expanding focus to serve both freelance and in-house editors. As Canada’s only national editorial association, it is the hub for 1,300 members and affiliates, both salaried and freelance, who work in the corporate, technical, government, not-for-profit and publishing sectors. The association’s professional development programs and services include professional certification, an annual conference, seminars, webinars, and networking with other associations. Editors Canada has five regional branches: British Columbia; Saskatchewan; Toronto; Ottawa–Gatineau; and Quebec, as well as smaller branches (called twigs) in Barrie, Calgary, Edmonton, Manitoba, Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph, Hamilton/Halton, Kingston, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Media contact
Michelle Ou
Senior Communications Manager
Editors Canada
communications@editors.ca