Founder of Lachine group honoured alongside Subban
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It’s a class photo Glynis Burton-Jenkins won’t soon forget: with Governor General David Johnston, P.K. Subban, and 11 other area residents being decorated for a dedication to volunteerism and community involvement.
Burton-Jenkins, a St-Lazare resident, was among 12 volunteers honoured alongside Subban last Wednesday, March 1, for her work as the founder and president of a support group called Extended Hands in Lachine.
“It’s overwhelming and surreal to be in the company of such great Canadians; it’s truly an honour,” Burton-Jenkins said.
The ceremony was held in the P.K. Subban Atrium of the Montreal Children’s Hospital. During the ceremony, Subban received the Meritorious Service Decoration for his dedication to the hospital, for which his has pledged to donate or raise $10 million through his charitable foundation.
“It’s amazing; I don’t really have the words to describe the feeling of being honoured in the same venue as him receiving that award,” Burton-Jenkins said. “The whole ceremony was just wonderful.”
Burton-Jenkins was pinned by Johnston with the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers. The silver medallion has an embossed image of Queen Elizabeth II on one side, and another image of a heart wearing a crown on the other.
In presenting the awards, Johnston said he was honoured to be able to recognize such achievements in community involvement.
“You are all philanthropists in the truest sense of the word,” he said. “You share a love for humanity; you make a real difference in people’s lives and your example is so inspiring to others, especially the young.”
Burton-Jenkins started her community organization 12 years ago shortly after she moved to the Montreal area from Ontario. A pastor who is also married to a Bishop David Burton at the Resurrection Centre in Lachine, Burton-Jenkins started Extended Hands first as a food bank and a venue that provides hot meals.
More recently, the organization, which counts about 30 volunteers, launched a program called Dress for Success, to help teens and high school students at risk of dropping out or becoming chronically unemployed. The program is run out of the Extended Hands location where there is a clothing collection, but also at different high schools in the region.
“It’s really to help people integrate into society and find jobs,” said Burton-Jenkins, who is also a volunteer in the organization. “We go through the whole process with them from writing a resumé to job hunting, role playing and interviewing, so we have a thrift shop to help people dress for that interview.
“We feel if we can get the kids before they get into too much trouble into a job where they can build self esteem, it will help them later in life so they don’t end up in the system of needing the food bank long term. Our goal is not to keep increasing our numbers.”
Burton-Jenkins has also travelled to Africa and India to help bring Extended Hands to those countries.
While this is her first time being recognized for her work, but Burton-Jenkins said she doesn’t do it for recognition.
“I really felt in my heart that God wanted us to do this where we are in our community,” she said. “We recognized there was a need in Lachine, and I just really felt God was telling me to do this.”
She said she hopes she can inspire others to also help their communities.
Article Credit: JASON MAGDER, MONTREAL GAZETTE
Updated: March 7, 2017