NewmarketToday's community editor is humbled to be honoured alongside 20 other York Region residents in the 12th annual Portraits of Giving awards.
“I am deeply humbled to join the alumni of more than 100 community leaders, philanthropists and volunteers who the awards have celebrated over the last decade,” Debora Kelly said.
Kelly, a longtime Newmarket resident with her husband and two adult children, is being recognized for her work as a journalist throughout the pandemic, as well as for decades of volunteering in Newmarket and York Region.
“In the last year and a half, the pace of the news has been relentless, with information changing rapidly and the impact of the pandemic deepening daily,” she said. “Local journalists like myself often worked around the clock knowing that it had never been more important to get the news that our community needed to be informed, to be safe, and to reach out to help others.”
Amid the challenges, she said it was also important that NewmarketToday continued to share good news stories.
“Never was it more important for us to share the stories that helped to keep spirits high and made us feel proud that our communities were stepping up to overcome the many challenges of the pandemic,” Kelly said.
She said she was especially privileged to tell the stories of our frontline workers, adding, “There’s simply not enough words to express our gratitude to them."
Kelly accepted the honour on behalf of all local journalists, according to Portraits of Giving award founder Karen Merk.
See the tribute video here.
“Debora is representing other journalists across York Region who have worked hard throughout the relentless pace of the pandemic news cycle,” Merk said. “Local journalists not only kept us aware of what was happening in our communities, but helped keep spirits high by sharing inspiring stories about our residents and businesses. It took a lot of perseverance to find and keep sharing critical information, and compassion to tell the stories about how we have been impacted.”
Kelly is also being celebrated for dedication as a volunteer in Newmarket and York Region.
She is currently a board member with the Fill a Purse for a Sister Campaign in York Region and is a member of the Portraits of Giving committee, the CHATS fund development advisory committee, and 100 Women Who Care — Central York Region.
Kelly played a pivotal role in raising awareness of homelessness in our region and was one of the community leaders who came together at the urging of then-MP Belinda Stronach to spearhead the initiative to build York Region’s first emergency and transitional housing facility for women.
As a local newspaper editor-in-chief, Kelly wrote about poverty and homelessness at a time when most of us had no idea that existed in our affluent communities. The Society of Friends stepped up to donate land in Newmarket and York Region agreed to build the shelter.
Debora was the chair of Belinda’s Place Foundation, which raised more than $1 million in donations from residents and local businesses. The uniquely designed facility opened in 2015, and it remains an enduring symbol of true partnership between community and government.
Kelly is also a recipient of the York Region Character Champion Award.
The Portraits of Giving award honours individuals and organizations from each municipality across York Region, with Kelly being recognized as the Newmarket honouree for 2021. There are also other award categories, including young adult, sports, lifetime achievement, and first responders.
From now until December, the Portraits of Giving will tour through York Region, displaying a photograph of each of the honourees, many of whom are frontline workers.
“This year’s honourees are contributing to their community in a different way, by persevering and the courage they’ve shown in the pandemic,” said Merk. “We’re celebrating everyone from caregivers for seniors to grocery store clerks.”
The photographs are on display in Newmarket at NewRoads Automotive Group at 18100 Yonge St. until June 28. Kelly chose to be photographed at Trinity United Church in Newmarket, where she was on the team for the Hugs4Hope fundraiser in October 2019.
The event broke the Guinness World Record for the number of hugs by a team of eight in 60 minutes with 4,008 embraces, and raised funds and awareness for YouthSpeak Performance Charity and Global Strides.
Portraits of Giving was started in 2009 by Merk, a local photographer, who wanted to recognize people going above and beyond in their communities. She hopes the awards will inspire others to do good.
