YWCA Toronto Proudly Announces 2022 Women of Distinction Award Recipients

Championing the rights of women and girls

TORONTO, March 3, 2022 /CNW/ - As International Women's Day approaches, YWCA Toronto is proud to announce the names of eight incredible women who will be recognized at YWCA Toronto's 41th Women of Distinction Awards Gala in June. Women of Distinction are brave leaders in their fields and committed champions of the rights of women, girls, and gender diverse individuals.

This year, our inspiring slate of recipients consists of Margaret Newall (President's Award), Willa Black (Corporate Leadership), Asma Faizi (Professions), Toufah Jallow (Young Woman of Distinction), Deepa Mattoo (Advocacy & Women's Rights), Cheryl Regehr (Education), Loly Rico (Refugee Rights) and Dr. Sharon Walmsley (Health).

"While YWCA Toronto engages in systems change advocacy to advance the social and economic rights of women, girls and gender diverse people, we also embrace the value of celebrating hard fought wins characterized by this year's Women of Distinction," says YWCA Toronto Chief Executive Officer, Heather McGregor.

YWCA Toronto's 2022 Women of Distinction Awards Gala will be hosted by Gill Deacon, host of Here and Now on CBC Radio One 99.1FM. The celebration and award ceremony will be held on Thursday, June 9th at the Fairmont Royal York in downtown Toronto.

The Women of Distinction Awards is YWCA Toronto's largest annual fundraising event. The proceeds from this event will make it possible for YWCA Toronto to provide essential programs that help women, girls and gender diverse people escape violence, access employment, move out of poverty and access safe, affordable housing.

Award recipients are available for exclusive interviews through YWCA Toronto's office.

TO ARRANGE INTERVIEWS; contact Kim Quashie, (e) [email protected]; (m) 416.660.9483.

YWCA Toronto's 2022 Women of Distinction

Margaret Newall (President's Award)
Margaret Newall has a long history of community activism and women-focused philanthropy. Margaret co-founded the Research and Education for Solutions to Violence and Abuse (RESOLVE) and the Prairieaction Foundation and served as the foundation's Chair for 10 years. As a leading voice for ending violence against women and through Prairieaction Foundation, Margaret and a team of activists raised five million dollars to promote research and education to help end domestic violence. Margaret personally campaigned to corporations, governments and individuals across Central Canada until she reached her impressive goal. For her tremendous work in the community, Margaret is a Member of the Order of Canada, and in 2012, she received the Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of her contributions.

Willa Black (Corporate Leadership)
Willa Black is the Vice‐President of Corporate Affairs for Cisco Canada and a driving force for change. Over her extensive career, she has helped thousands of women and girls gain access to education, mental health resources, and IT skills training through innovative programs. In 2011, Willa led the launch of the Connected North Network, using technology to connect students in Canada's Northern communities to opportunities not available to them locally including Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programming, Indigenous mentors, virtual field trips, and mental wellness resources. Willa is a passionate champion for gender parity in STEM fields and technology. 

Asma Faizi (Professions)
Asma Faizi is a pillar of hope for Afghan women and girls in Canada and abroad. As President and Chair of the Board of Directors for the Afghan Women's Organization (AWO), she has played an instrumental part in creating opportunities for Afghan women, notably by implementing the Afghan Women's Leadership and Governance Training Program, coordinating an AWO Youth Leadership initiative, and representing the AWO on the Steering Committee of the Canadian Coalition in Support of Women. Globally, Asma has been an unwavering advocate for women and girls for over two decades, leading workshops and presentations on women's rights in Afghanistan at conferences in Mexico and Thailand.

Toufah Jallow (Young Woman of Distinction)
At 25 years old, Toufah Jallow is already an accomplished educator and advocate speaking out against gender-based violence on the world stage. In 2015, Toufah was forced to flee her native country of Gambia at the age of 18 after the country's violent dictator sexually assaulted her. After the dictator was deposed, she returned to her country to testify against him, breaking several taboos by speaking publicly on the assault. Her testimony inspired an outpouring of stories from West African women and sparked a social media campaign, #IamToufah, to address sexual assault and gender-based violence in the country. Most recently Toufah has published a book, entitled Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #MeToo Movement, which she co-wrote about her experiences. It was released in Canada in February of 2022. 

Deepa Mattoo (Advocacy & Women's Rights)
As a skilled feminist lawyer and the Executive Director of the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, Deepa Mattoo is a passionate advocate for a woman's right to live free from violence. Over the course of her stellar 24-year career, she has supported women through her work at the Clinic, as well as by providing training and education to other direct service providers across Canada. Deepa specializes in working with forced marriage survivors, racialized non-status women and immigrant and refugee women experiencing gender-based violence. Deepa has also spearheaded several innovative projects that include a new intersectional risk assessment tool, a High Need Case Management Program, a Criminalization of Women ProBono Program for women who have been charged or convicted of criminal offences, and the #AndMeToo Project for addressing sexual harassment for precariously-employed survivors.

Cheryl Regehr (Education)
Cheryl Regehr has been a champion of women at the University of Toronto for many years. As the University's Vice-President and one of the longest serving Provosts in its history, she has made it a priority to uplift women on campus, whether through individual mentoring or through larger systems change. A particular highlight in Cheryl's career is the creation of two new roles at University of Toronto: the Provostial Advisor on Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), which works to recruit women into STEM programs, and the Provostial Advisor on Access Programs, a position Cheryl created to enhance the ability of students from underrepresented groups to access academia. Cheryl has also received numerous awards for research and teaching and is the author of six books and more than 150 articles in the fields of social work and mental health.

Loly Rico (Refugee Rights)
Loly Rico is a prominent advocate for refugee women in Toronto. After fleeing political oppression in El Salvador, Loly and her late partner founded what is now known as the FCJ Refugee Centre 31 years ago. Though she was originally trained as a physiotherapist, Loly's personal migration experience exposed her to the vulnerabilities many refugee women and children face, and the urgent need for community programs to support healing and safety. Over the years, Loly and her partner expanded the Centre's services, offering refugee women and families a variety of aids, including legal support, a primary health care clinic and support with social assistance. Loly was also fundamental in helping create an innovative program with York University that allows students without permanent status in Canada to enroll in post-secondary education without having to pay costly foreign student fees.

Dr. Sharon Walmsley (Health)
Dr. Sharon Walmsley is a trailblazer and advocate for responsive health care for women living with HIV. As one of the first Ontario physicians to dedicate her practice to the care of persons living with the HIV virus, Sharon has pioneered care models to address the specific needs of HIV positive women, recognizing that many women and trans people acquired the disease through sexual assault. She currently heads one of the largest HIV clinics in the country, the Immunodeficiency Clinic at Toronto General Hospital. Sharon is also a world-renowned researcher. She is the Chair of the International Workshop on HIV and Women, where she has used her leadership to connect researchers and advance further study on the topic of HIV and women.

RELATED LINKS:www.ywcatoronto.org  and www.womenofdistinction.ca

SOURCE YWCA Toronto

MEDIA CONTACT: Kim Quashie, Manager of Communications and Marketing, YWCA Toronto, M. 416.660.9483, [email protected]