Justin Van Dette - East York Hall of Fame
Justin Van Dette gave a presentation on the East York Hall of Fame starting with some history of East York as a borough. East York has one of the highest rates of volunteerism per capita. The East York Hall of Fame was formed after Justin attended the Leaside Sports Hall of Fame and started thinking about the number of former East Yorkers who are deserving of recognition.
He has consulted with a wide range of organizations and formed a board with representatives from various groups. The Hall of Fame is intended to celebrate and enrich the history of East York by recognizing individuals who have risen to national prominence and those who have made a difference in the community, including those individuals who are no longer with us. The Hall of Fame has solicited the help of the East York Foundation. The Foundation has given consent for the use of the East York logo and will provide financial oversight to the operations of the Hall of Fame, including the provision of tax receipts. There will be an annual induction ceremony including two inductions into the Hall of Fame, one Bulldog Award for volunteerism and awards to two youth athletes of the year. The launch event for the Hall of Fame is being planned for the end of January with the first induction ceremony to take place in May of this year. The nomination form will be available on the website shortly. If a person was born in, lives in, was educated in, played sports in, worked in, volunteered in or currently resides in the former borough’s boundaries, the person will be eligible for nomination. In the short term, the awards will be displayed in the East York Civic Centre.