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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Pioneering Filipino-Canadian community worker wins 2020 Citizen of the Year Award in Calgary

Pioneering Filipino-Canadian community worker wins 2020 Citizen of the Year Award in Calgary

Published Jun 30, 2021 05:39 pm

A Filipino Canadian who dedicated most of her life to serving the community has been awarded the 2020 Citizen of the Year Award by the City of Calgary.

2020 Citizen of the Year awardee Marichu Antonio (via Facebook/Marichu Antonio)

Marichu Antonio, who was born in Manila, is the first Filipino Canadian woman to win the prestigious award bestowed on her on June 21, 2021 by the City Council of Calgary.

Established in 1994, the Calgary Awards are given to 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 the city.

Philippine Consul General Zaldy Patron hailed Antonio for her contributions not only to the community in Calgary but also for the honor she gave to Filipinos in Canada.

“I am extremely proud of Ms. Marichu Antonio, who made history by becoming the first Filipino Canadian and the first woman of color to receive Calgary's Citizen of the Year Award since the award’s establishment 27 years ago. This is a big honor for our large Filipino community in Calgary. I am certain that her remarkable achievement will inspire our fellow Filipinos in Canada to excel in their advocacies and professions,” Patron said in his remarks during the dinner he and his wife Sheila had hosted for Antonio and her husband Cesar Cala.

Antonio came to Canada in 1994 and worked as Community Development Manager at the Centre for Newcomers in Calgary for 13 years. She is currently the executive director and a founding member of ActionDignity, an organization that works to make Calgary a just and equitable society for all.

Prior to migrating to Canada, Antonio went to Philippine Science High School, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and the University of the Philippines for her education.

Her colleagues at ActionDignity paid tribute to Antonio, calling her “an extraordinary pioneering leader and innovator” with nearly five decades of working passionately towards community development and empowerment.

“She is a strong advocate of social justice, human rights, and equity for all citizens,” the ActionDignity said on its website.

As Executive Director of the organization for nearly twelve years, Antonio has been credited for transforming ActionDignity into a strong platform organization that serves to amplify the collective voice of over100 culturally diverse groups and organizations.

“Through her leadership, these empowered communities became a force in transitioning public institutions and in advocating for public policies that are responsive to racialized communities. She is a strong advocate of providing safe spaces for racialized communities to speak out and be heard. She believes that those that are greatly impacted by inequities are the best people to provide solutions and to guide policy and systems change,” the ActionDignity added.

During the pandemic, Antonio quickly shifted ActionDignity’s focus to emergency support to Calgarians including essential workers in Cargill and JBS meat plants.

She also co-founded the Multilingual Emergency Response Centre (MERC) Hotline in response to COVID-19 and sits as a key player in the Calgary East Zone Newcomers Collaborative (CENC). Offering support in 24 languages, CENC served 12,400 COVID-impacted Calgarians with food, financial and mental health support as they healed with dignity.

In 2012, Antonio was also awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and recognized by the Avenue Magazine’s A-List of Volunteers in 2009 in recognition of her contributions towards strengthening communities.

Based on the 2016 Canada Census, Calgary hosts about 75,000 Filipinos out of the city’s total population of about 1.4 million people.

Related Tags

Consul General Zaldy Patron Marichu Antonio City Council of Calgary Calgary ActionDignity 2020 citizen of the year award canada
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