Eleven Mission and one Maple Ridge resident were presented the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medals by Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge-Mission Member of Parliament Randy Kamp at the Cedarbrooke Chateau in Mission recently.

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal created to mark the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne as Queen of Canada. The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal is a tangible way for Canada to honour Her Majesty for her service to this country. At the same time, it serves to honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.

The following names were called to receive their medals: Dr. Marco Terwiel from Maple Ridge, Claire Clemo, Amanda Peebles, Leslie Reed, Sgt. Bob Reed, Dave Bryant, Don Lobb, Cal Crawford, Vir Singh Pannu, Sherry Edmunds-Flett, and myself, Ken Herar, were recognized for service to Mission. Recipient Fred Clarke of Mission was absent.

"All of the recipients have stood out . . . as great examples of dedication and service to others. By their consistent commitment to the community, these recipients have made their community a better place to live," stated Kamp in a press release.

There were also five other Mission residents who received their medals at city hall by MLAs Marc Dalton, Randy Hawes and Mayor Ted Adlem: Steve Sharpe, Ron Leger, Rex Blane, Val Hundert and Barb Feh-rmann.

"Its been a joy to be involved in many organizations in Mission for the past 20 years and [it's] a deep honour to unexpectedly receive this medal," said Hundert

Edmunds-Flett agreed. "I feel humbled to receive the medal. Glen and I are proud of the contributions that the LINC Society has made and of the community we live in that allows us to do so. The medal to me reflects the diversity that makes me proud to be a Canadian."

I am definitely humbled to receive this recognition. It caught me totally off guard when I received the phone call a few weeks ago.

My involvement and efforts have never been about medals or awards. I have always enjoyed working with people towards the common good of our community and nation.

Life is about choices and what we choose to represent and the legacy we leave behind.

Cultural diversity is Canada's greatest strength and it's not only celebrating differences; it's actually about building relationships and that should remain our primary focus.

I have met some inspiring people like Cycling4Diversity co-founder and executive coordinator Sarina Di Martino Derksen who has remained passionate about this initiative. It's with individuals like her that real and long-term differences can become a reality.

There is a lifetime responsibility that comes with this recognition and it's something that I am committed to. I jotted down a few lines before the ceremony that I want to share:

"Life is about opportunities and sometimes they're in the hands of someone who can open or close them. I encourage everyone here to be that window of opportunity because sometimes that's all it takes in making a difference."