Grammar Alumni Rebeccah Raphael '19 and Georgia Skinner '11 received a Dr. Strang Community Hero Award from Doctors Nova Scotia.
Rebeccah Raphael '19
Rebecca received the award for founding the non-profit organization, The Halifax Helpers, a free online virtual tutoring platform. The program recruits volunteer tutors to help young people who need support and encouragement in maintaining and improving their learning skills. The program has support for reading, English second language training, and subject-specific support for subjects such as math, science, or history!
Rebecca was inspired to start the non-profit service because she wanted to feel more connected to the community and wanted a way to give back. She had seen a similar program in Calgary and took the jump to bring the service to Halifax to support youth in the community. At first, The Halifax Helpers had ten volunteers, and now the program over 50 volunteers across the country and hosts over 75 tutoring sessions every week!
Georgia Skinner '11
Georgia received the award for her work at the Northwood long-term care facility in Halifax during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in the facility during the first wave of the pandemic. During this time, Georgia worked as both a long-term care aid and personal support worker for the residents who were ill.
Essential front-line workers like Georgia were vital in helping our community make it through the waves of the pandemic. With seniors being the most vulnerable to COVID-19, Georgia's hard work and perseverance to support the long-term care residents at Northwood do not go unnoticed or unappreciated. We're proud to have alumni like Georgia who excel with passion as an essential worker during these tough times.
On behalf of the Grammar Community, we would like to congratulate Rebecca and Georgia again for both receiving the Dr. Strang Community Hero Award; it was well-earned! #GrammarProud