Community advocate Marichu Antonio is the first Filipino-Canadian woman to be awarded Calgary’s Citizen of the Year for her extraordinary contributions to the community.
Antonio has worked for 12 years as the executive director of Action Dignity, a community-based organization that works to raise the collective voice of culturally diverse communities in Calgary.
“My vision for Calgary is a city that values and appreciates and respects everyone equally, regardless of the color of their skin, the language they speak, their gender identity or their economic status,” Antonio said in a video posted on Twitter by the city.
Antonio also led the organization in providing emergency support to Calgarians in times of pandemic.
“I am most proud of leading the formation of the multicultural, multilingual emergency response to COVID-19 — a hotline that serves racialized communities in 24 different languages and listens to their problems,” Antonio said.
The Philippine Consulate General in Calgary on Wednesday congratulated Antonio for being named by the City of Calgary as the recipient of the award.
"This award goes to an outstanding individual Calgarian who, within the last five years, has made extraordinary contributions to the community, as a volunteer and/or professional, that improved the quality of life in Calgary or brought recognition to Calgary," the consulate said in a statement.