YMCA Peace Week

YMCA Peace Week is a time when we celebrate the presence of peace in our communities, and reflect on the peace-building work that happens all year round, both inside and outside the YMCA. The Peace Medallion was developed in 1987 by the International Committee at the YMCA of Fredericton and has since been adopted by YMCAs across Canada. As part of YMCA Peace week, YMCAs across Canada present the YMCA Peace Medallion to individuals or to a group, who, without any special resources, status, wealth or position, demonstrate a commitment to the values of PEACE through contributions made within their local, national or global community. This year, the YMCA of Fredericton is pleased to announce that the recipient of the YMCA Peace Medallion is Corinne Saunders Hersey.

Corinne Saunders Hersey is a conscientious, environmental activist who has a passion for humanity. In 2018, Corinne volunteered her time at Pine Grove Nursing home creating a garden for their residents. She was instrumental in obtaining a Government Grant for the start up costs of the garden, and enlisted members of the community to volunteer in the development. Patients were involved in the planning, planting and harvesting of the vegetables. The project was complete only after the patients benefited from the vegetables that the garden produced; this happened through a series of volunteer meal prepping session.

From 2018 – 2020 Corinne volunteered her time with the Hayes Family Farm helping with their Community Gardens and Community Outreach.

This past summer Corinne has volunteered extensively with the Salvation Army Maritimes Community Garden. The goal of the project was to teach people new skills and boost their food bank supply. Starting in the spring, the garden has become a place where community members from all walks of life come together to socialize, learn and help the plants grow. Together, with a team of volunteers, they cleared land, enriched the land through tilling, built fences and planted seeds. In addition to the regular planting, raised beds were created to provide accessibility for all participants. Corinne volunteered her time through the whole process including maintaining and harvesting the produce. Although Corinne loves being outdoors, she also loves educating people about gardening. Throughout the summer, she also volunteered her time to facilitate many workshops on the topics such as saving seeds, learning about vegetable dye for fabric and the planting and caring for seedlings.

The YMCA of Fredericton would like to congratulate Corinne Saunders Hersey and thank her for all of her hard work and dedication to our Community.