2014

Daughter of the Year Award Recipients

Jeni Adler

Jeni Adler’s work at Jewish Family Services is marked by the effective creation of the programs she operates, and the love and friendship she expresses to immigrant women and others with whom she works.

Shreela Chakrabartty

Shreela Chakrabartty is a pioneer film director and producer, whose recent Edmonton-made movie “Rock Paper Dice Enter” has had a successful run in Canada and internationally. She has done many projects with FAVA, and worked on the sound for the Academy Award-nominated “Water.”

Lan Chan Marples

Lan Chan Marples chaired the first Edmonton Chinatown conference on the 100th anniversary of the community. Her work with the Chinese community has included leadership at ASSIST Community Services, and programs to combat family violence, and engage isolated seniors. She has provided leadership with the Canadian Multicultural Education Foundation’s annual Harmony Brunch.

Joan Cowling

Joan Cowling served four terms on Edmonton Public School Board where she worked to have Francophone students welcomed, and spearheaded Aboriginal inclusion programs. As Chair of the Canadian School Boards Association, she helped develop a model multiculturalism and race relations policy for school boards. Joan is Chair of John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights.

Linda Dumont

Linda Dumont started Alberta Street News in 2003 but worked with street papers in Edmonton from 1993. Alberta Street News provides a way for those unable to hold conventional jobs to make some money selling papers. She is a published poet and talented painter as well as an articulate anti-poverty activist.

Rajvir Kaur Gill

As Indo-Canadian Women’s Association program director, Rajvir Gill is developing community activities around the elimination of violence against women in the name of “honour.” She serves on the new WAVE Committee of the City of Edmonton and the REACH board. She was recently named one of the “Top 30 under 30” in Edmonton.

Paula Kirman

Paula Kirman is an activist in community/independent media and social justice, using skills as a writer, editor, photographer, videographer, and singer/songwriter to effect positive social change. She documents many social justice events and posts at her website Radical Citizen Media. Paula is Editor of the community newspaper Boyle McCauley News and wrote the theme song for the Daughters Day celebration.

Laura Manickaraj

Laura Manickaraj has dedicated much of her life to living with people with developmental disabilities in L’Arche communities, since 1987 in Calgary. She is a living testament to the value of inclusion and embracing diversity. She describes involvement with people with disabilities as a mutual opportunity for learning. Duncan, who lives in a L’Arche community, says, “Laura is a second mother to me. She brings life to the community.”

Zainab Mohamoud

Zainab Mohamoud is one of Red Deer’s most active and enthusiastic volunteers in fundraising for breast cancer research. She cooks and sells Somali foods at a farmer’s market to raise funds for girls’ education in Somalia and is a social worker at Central Alberta Immigrant Women’s Association.

Shawna Pandya

Dr. Shawna Pandya is a neurosurgery resident at the University of Alberta Hospitals, with a passion for space, and a degree from International Space University. She mentors for Cyber Mentor, encouraging women in technology and sciences. She was part of the team doing pre-clinical testing of the NeuroArm for robotic neurosurgery.

Bridget Stirling

Bridget Stirling has been a public educator with Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton and made presentations supporting survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, helped organized Take Back the Night and International Women’s Day events, and volunteers on the board of Edmonton Social Planning Council.

Michelle Van Teeling

Michelle Van Teeling spent years obsessing about being thin until she concluded eating well and exercise was the real route to a healthy body, and mind. This led her to bodybuilding and her first competition in 2007. Recently she placed second in Northern Lightweights Women’s Bodybuilding and Northern Masters, and now has the goal of qualifying at Nationals level. She creates masterpieces of cake design, available through Yummy Mummy Cakes too.