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www.insideHALTON.com |OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, March 10, 2017 |1 2 Halton newcomers recognized for their contributions by Nathan Howes Oakville Beaver Staff Thanks to Oakville newcomers William Vallejo and Marlen Ortega, others new to Canada have a job. In 2002, the husband and wife moved here from Colom bia and launched their com pany, Industrial Cleaning & Maintenance Services (ICMS) Inc., in 2003. For nine years, ICMS hired up to 10 people - mostly newcomers - allowing them to learn about the labour market, while gaining experience. Even with industry changes, the Oakville company still primarily hires immigrants, who receive training and certification from it. In recognition of their efforts to provide employment opportunities to newcomers, the couple received the Halton Newcomer Strategys Business/ Culturally Diverse Workforce award Monday, March 6 at the second annual recognition ceremony in Oakville. Held at the Halton Regional Centre, the event celebrated the contributions of newcomers in the region, profiling their success in the categories of Youth, Business/ Culturally Diverse Workforce and Community. While more than 50 newcomers were recognized, individual awards were given to Hanbyoul (Agatha) Park, of Milton, in the Youth category, and Gabriela Covaci, of Burlington, winner of the Community accolade. Vallejo attributes the award to the company' s service, as "whatever you do for your customers is successful for your company." "We feel really proud, really happy to receive this kind of award. It' s not an award for us. Its for all the people who have been working with us. It' s for their commitment, for ALL LOCATIONS ARE LOCATED IN SID E LONGOS & ARE OPEN 7 DAYS A W EEK Op m o r fj .i rs p h a r m a c y Filling prescriptions. Fulfilling expectations. M O R E L L IS P H A R M A C Y .C O M I O N L IN E PR E S C R IP TIO N RENEW AL I C O M P O U N D IN G AVAILABLE i FAMILY O W NED AND OPERATED W e h a ve all y o u r H e a lth C a re needs Have you had your flu shot? No appointment necessary Fast, professional services inside your Oakville and Burlington LONGO'S their strength, for everything they are giving us and our customers," said Vallejo. While you can be successful in Colmbia, you can achieve it more quickly in Canada, Vallejo said. "You can do here, the same thing you did over there for 25 years, you can do it five years. You can be in the same position, more or less," he said. The Oakville man said the Region and organizations such as the Halton Newcomer Strategy has helped them. "They teach us how to do things. They trained us and then we were able to go ahead. This is a multicultural environment. You can find people from everywhere. The respect you feel, being here, is difficult to find in a lot of places," said Vallejo. "Canada accepted us as we are and helped us to be successful." Park took home the Youth award for her commitment to education and volunteer service with the Milton Youth Advisory Council (MYAC), Darling House and as project leader of Bishop Reding Catholic Secondary Schools H.O.PE. (Help Open Peoples Eyes) initiative. The latter involves donating hair to charity, making "little beds" for people in developing countries and other activities. The 17-year-old, who moved to Canada from South Korea about 10 years ago, The Halton Newcomer Strategy celebrated the achievements of more than 50 newcomers Monday, March 6, at its second annual recognition ceremony. Four them received individual awards in the Youth, Community and Business/Culturally Diverse Workplace categories. From left, Gabriela Covaci, of Burlington, won Community Accolade, Oakville's Marlen Ortega and William Vallejo, won Business/Culturally Diverse Workforce Award, and Hanbyoul (Agatha) Park, of Milton, recipient of the Youth Award. | Nathan Howes/Metroland wanted to use her talents to help others, locally, she said. "Becoming involved with other community events helped me to settle in Canada and helped me realize I can do something to make a difference in people' s lives," said Park. Covaci received the Community award for her work in the Halton District School Board' s International Tanguage program, volunteer efforts with the Halton Multicultural Council (HMC), work with the Halton Newcomer Strategy, when it first launched, and for leadership shown during International Women' s Day (IWD). The Burlington woman moved to Canada from Romania in 2003. Volunteering is a must for a newcomer, Covaci said, which is why she gives back. "Everything is new for us, and in order to merge with the system, you need to be involved. The only way you can be involved is to do some volunteering work," said Covaci. The Halton Newcomer Strategy has more than 60 community partners who work collaboratively to support newcomers in Halton. For more information, visit www. haltonnewcomerstrategy.com. Family. Together forever. Pre-select space in our elegant Last Supper Mausoleum and honour your family and faith forever. For generations to come, our modern buildings will provide for comfortable visitation in any season. Complete your mausoleum pre-planning today. Take the first step. Call now. 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