2024

The 13th annual Daughters Day celebration took place on September 21st at Edmonton City Hall. The Board of Canadians for a Civil Society and the Daughters Day Committee are grateful for all who attended, volunteered, performed, and supported the celebration.

Canadians for A Civil Society (CCS) proudly announces this year’s recipients of the 2024 Daughter Day Award. Reaching its 13th milestone year in 2024, Daughters Day has recognized over 70 women who have made significant impacts in their communities. Join Jim Gurnett, as he hosts this years celebration. He has been an organizer of many of the previous ones, including the first annual Daughters Day. This free public awareness and educational event is designed to advance understanding of the importance of the civil society principle of gender equity. All of the recipients being recognized have worked to address gender inequities and are: Dorothy Briggs, Jillian Fetter, Melody Klinck, Marigold Mioc, Ana-Maria Ortega, and Tanya Michelle Zopf.








 

Daughters of the Year Award Recipients

Dorothy Briggs 

Dorothy Briggs is a dynamic publisher, author, speaker, mentor, and influencer who has made a significant impact in the world of personal and professional development in Alberta. With a career spanning over several decades, Dorothy has dedicated herself to empowering others through her extensive work in publishing and mentoring. She is the founder and CEO of Womanition, a highly respected magazine and six pillar community that celebrates and supports women in business. Her visionary leadership has provided a platform for countless women to share their stories, inspire others, and build meaningful connections.

As an author, Dorothy has penned numerous books that delve into topics of self-improvement, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Her writing is characterized by its practical wisdom and motivational tone, offering readers actionable insights to achieve their goals. Beyond her writing, Dorothy is a sought-after speaker, known for her engaging and transformative presentations that inspire audiences to reach their full potential. In her role as a mentor, Dorothy has guided many individuals on their journeys to success, providing them with the tools and confidence to pursue their dreams. As an influencer, she continues to shape the conversation around women’s empowerment and leadership, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of those she touches.

Jillian Fetter

Jillian Fetter is a philanthropist at heart. She has been active in supporting Edmontonians in many ways throughout her life but her greatest accomplishment has been creating the Shine Bright Be Fearless awards for Grade 9 girls when she was 14, and in Grade 9 herself.

Jill’s goal when creating the “Shine Bright Be Fearless Awards” was to allow girls to be seen and celebrated, those who were often overlooked. She set about to offer financial awards and encouragement to other young women to build them up at such an uncertain time. These girls have incredible personal qualities including resilience, joy, determination, and kindness when faced with adversities. Jill had a desire to help these girls see the greatness they had within. To date, over 80 awards have been given out to girls in Edmonton over the past 8 years. There is a committee of other young women that Jill chairs from the ages of 8-25 that help coordinate gift boxes, fundraisers, Wellness Days, and celebrations for the recipients. The Shine Bright Be Fearless organization has also become a registered charity partnering with the YWCA Edmonton! She is 21 years old and in her fourth year of sciences at the University of Alberta. She continues to grow “Shine Bright Be Fearless” with amazing support as well as continuing towards her goal of working in pediatric medicine as her desire to help others is a life commitment.

Melody Klinck

Melody Klinck is a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, an exceptional facilitator, and the sole founder of Inspiring Virtues. Melody is described as having a heart that is embedded in making people better than when she found them. She is a mother to two amazing daughters, which fueled her fierce passion to advocate for and empower women and girls and to fight for equality across all ethnicities, teaching young girls’ dreams are possible, to be yourself, love yourself, respect yourself, and always know your worth. With over 25 years of dedicated service with children, youth, individuals, and families in various capacities, Melody has walked alongside individuals on their most challenging days with compassion, understanding, humility, and kindness.

Melody is a true mentor and leader; she leads by example to empower others in the community to step into their leadership potential with grace. Melody has served on several committees and has always been very supportive of causes in the community and has sponsored numerous awards for women and girls. Having courageously endured her share of life altering challenges, Melody has demonstrated resilience and perseverance and continues to create a legacy of integrity, compassion, and inspiration.

Marigold Mioc

Marigold Mioc is 15 years old and lives in Calgary. She strongly believes in being an active community member and working together to help others. She has been volunteering with the Love with Humanity Association since 2018 and co-manages her own outdoor food pantry and mini library. She is a Youth Ambassador for United Way of Calgary and Gems for Gems, and has been involved with both organizations since 2021. In 2023, Marigold started an initiative of making care packages for young people who are transitioning out of the foster care system. Twenty teens/young adults received a suitcase filled with gift cards, hygiene products, journals, and pamphlets listing community resources. She received a grant of $2000 from the Calgary Youth Foundation. She organized a group of young volunteers to help out with organizing the contents and packing the suitcases. Marigold has been a member of CAYAC (Child and Youth Advisory Council) at the Alberta Children’s Hospital since 2023. In 2020, she created a video about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for her fellowship project with HundrED (an educational organization based in Helsinki, Finland) with the involvement of children from all over the world.

Ana-Maria Ortega

Ana-Maria Ortega’s journey begins in the vibrant city of Quito, Ecuador, where her passion for diversity and inclusion first took root. With over 30 years of experience across Ecuador, Colombia, and Canada, Ana-Maria’s career reflects a steadfast commitment to impactful service and advocacy for those facing vulnerabilities, particularly due to migration. Her upbringing in South America profoundly shaped her global perspective, which she further developed while working with the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS). This role heightened her awareness of the challenges faced by newcomers, especially internationally trained professionals like herself, and ignited a deep drive to support those eager to rebuild their sense of belonging and contribute meaningfully in a new environment. In Canada,

Ana-Maria founded Eagle Business Coaching in 2016, where she channels her extensive expertise in business strategy, change management, continuous improvement, project management, and coaching. Her work goes beyond guiding businesses to success; it focuses on empowering local business owners, women, and immigrants, particularly entrepreneurial newcomers. As the Executive Director of the Edmonton Hispanic Women’s Support Society, Ana-Maria is honoured to contribute to Alberta’s socio-economic landscape by promoting equity through Spanish-language programs designed to nurture women leaders and empower courageous newcomers. Her leadership is driven by a belief that equity, like service and love, is a deliberate lifestyle that aligns every aspect of life towards meaningful and impactful achievements.

Tanya Michelle Zopf

Tanya was born in North York, Ontario, the oldest of three children. Her young life was filled with family violence before being trafficked into sexual exploitation at the age of 13. Tanya spent a decade being violently abused and exploited before making her escape. Seven years ago Tanya started her healing journey. She wrote and self published her memoir, Out of Shadows. As positive response grew from sharing her story, Tanya began her MORE (Mothers Offering Recovery from Exploitation) project to help other mothers, women, and girls caught in the despair of sexual exploitation. Her mission is to Shed Light on the Darkness of Human Trafficking here in Canada everyday through Awareness, Support, Education, and Outreach. Tanya recently moved to Legal where she lives happily with her partner and continues to heal and help others heal from their trauma.

 

 

 2024 Sponsors and Supporters