Sudbury senior honoured for decades of volunteer work
Reijo Viitala, a long time volunteer at Finlandia Village in Sudbury, has been honoured with a provincial award.
Dignitaries, residents, family and friends gathered Tuesday to celebrate Viitala’s accomplishments.
The Ontario Senior Achievement Award is handed out to just 20 people in the province each year.
“It’s a great honour to get recognized by your peers, and this reception here is basically designed to have the presentation in front of my peers, the people that I volunteer for and the seniors especially,” said Viitala.
The Ministry of Seniors Affairs reviews all nominations. The award is presented to honour outstanding seniors who have made significant contributions to their communities.
Jeanna de la Morandire, volunteer coordinator at Finlandia Village, nominated Viitala forward for the award.
“His parents are founding members of the village and so for over 40 years, Reijo has been very instrumental in engaging events and activities and groups mostly notably with the finish veterans association of Sudbury,” de la Morandire said.
Recipients are selected by an independent committee made up of representatives from the senior’s community.
“To hear that he has been recognized, it’s very exciting and we’re very happy for him and his family,” said de la Morandire.
Viitala said it’s touching to be recognized by his peers after four decades.
“I’d stress the importance of volunteering,” he said.
“Especially for the seniors, who are sometimes -- and now with COVID has brought that to the forefront -- have found themselves to be very lonely and volunteering opens up venues for them to come and celebrate.”
This isn’t the first time Viitala has been recognized for his work. In 2022 he received the Knight of the Order of Finlandia Award.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.