Maria Ciarlandini's story of giving back to her community has its roots in the cherry tree in her parent's yard.
The child of Italian immigrants, Ciarlandini and her parents would harvest cherries from their tree and give baskets of them to their neighbours, says the local resident who is Newmarket's new Women of Excellence Award recipient.
"I would go to my senior neighbours as a little girl and I would hand them these cherries. That's my youngest memory of giving back, and it was my parents' way of giving back. I think that it's why I do what I do," said Ciarlandini.
"It was the moment when I learned that if you have a little bit extra, you should give it away."
Ciarlandini was announced the winner of the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce and NewRoads Automotive Group's 11th annual Women of Excellence Award on Tuesday, on the heels of the annual International Women's Day.
The financial administrator and community ambassador for Vince's Market was chosen from four finalists during a live-streamed award show at the NewRoads Performing Arts Centre, the first virtual awards event in the history of the award due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, in support of the Women's Centre of York Region.
Her fellow finalists included NewmarketToday's Debora Kelly, Inn From the Cold executive director Ann Watson, and Juliane Goyette of HollisWealth.
Talking to NewmarketToday today, Ciarlandini said she was a little overwhelmed by the honour of winning and is still letting the reality sink in.
"I'm so very honoured and grateful to be recognized. I was not expecting this; I was waiting to cheer on one of my fellow nominees because I had already found being nominated and going through the judging interview with last year's winners to be rewarding on its own," she said.
Ciarlandini had been giving back in Newmarket for several years before Vince's Market gave her a chance to do so professionally as their community ambassador.
Before joining the independent grocery chain, she was the owner of a hair salon for nine years. It was during that time that she began organizing an annual charitable event called Style for a Cause.
"We did that every year for six years. And through that single event, I was able to give back to six different communities and learn about different organizations," she said.
"Not only did I learn I could give back, I learned I could share what I had learned with others over social media in a way that would hopefully inspire others to think about philanthropic ideas."
By organizing that event, Ciarlandini was also able to network with other community leaders and gain a reputation as someone who could organize large initiatives for important causes.
This reputation caught the eye of Vince's Market, which had its own history of giving back to the community. The company offered her a job as its community ambassador.
"They created a role for me," she said. "I think it is a great honour to highlight the work they were doing in the community before me."
In her role, Ciarlandini has organized and promoted events that include the Cedar Centre gala, the S.O.S. Campaign, NewRoads Girls Night Out, Random Acts of Vince's, and Big Bike for Heart & Stroke, as well as the many sports teams sponsorships the company provides.
"The difference between my salon and Vince's is that we have a budget for this work. So I am able to do what I love and help communities."