It may have been a short month, but February delivered plenty to report for Village!
Below is a snapshot of important wins, launches and more from across the company.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to another exciting month.
Welcome to our Village
We welcomed three new team members to our Village, including:
Kellen Evoy - Village Media .NET Developer
Samantha Stevenson - Village Media social media & marketing coordinator
Alex Hunt - StratfordToday reporter
Welcome! 👏
Village takes home three more national awards 🏆
Village was well represented at this year’s Canadian Online Publishing Awards, being named a winner in three different categories.
BarrieToday’s Kevin Lamb earned Gold in the Best Photo Journalism category for his powerful gallery documenting the Barrie ice storm. BarrieToday’s Nikki Cole also brought home Gold in the Best Daily News Coverage category for her impressive reporting on a home explosion in Allandale.
In addition, SooToday’s Random Acts of Kindness team (including Zack Trunzo, Drew Armstrong, Zaafina Naqvi, Elise Nelson and Jasmyn Rowley) received Silver in the Best Video Content category for the gift-giving video surprise series.
These awards are a testament to the exceptional journalism, storytelling and teamwork happening across Village every day. Congratulations to all on this well-deserved recognition!
We shared a whole lot of kindness for Kindness Week 🫶
To celebrate the inaugural Kindness Week in Sault Ste. Marie, the Cares team helped to coordinate a number of kindness initiatives throughout the community.
From Kindness Passports distributed to 10,000 area students, to a heartwarming neighbourhood Random Act of Kindness, to a kindness contest and kicking off a fundraising campaign to support the ARCH Hospice Children’s Grief and Bereavement Program, there was plenty of community warmth this chilly February.
SPACES meets meet-ups 🤝
Our SPACES groups are taking their online connections offline for IRL events that bring neighbours together over shared interests.
Recent events include Hot August Nights - Winter Experience, a casual gathering in Sault Ste. Marie for the core contributors of the car community to reconnect during the off-season.
Next up was the Galentine’s Day Heart 2 Heart meet up on February 12 in Oakville. The networking event provided a valuable opportunity for women in business to connect and share with each other.
Taking a Closer Look 👀
February was a busy month inside the Closer Look studio and with the Olympics here, Frisco and Scott spent their fair share talking hockey.
Sports personality Sid Seixeiro launched a brand new podcast and made bold predictions for both the Canadian women's and men's teams (spoiler alert: neither aged well).
Plus, the Emmy-nominated director of Rivals, Yon Motskin chatted with the guys about making the documentary that focused on the 4 Nations Face-Off final between Canada and the U.S. You can watch all episodes of Closer Look here.
✨ Spotlight on sponsorships ✨
In February, we sponsored 21 events and organizations in our communities 💛
BurlingtonToday
United Way Halton & Hamilton, Sleepless For Our Community: United in Action against Poverty, Community Pathways Resource Fair, Museums of Burlington
CollingwoodToday
Thornbury Jazz
InnisfilToday
Innisfil Pop-Up Up Market, CFS Counselling + Wellbeing Coldest Night of the Year
NewmarketToday
Better Living Charitable Foundation
OakvilleNews
OFFA Film Fest
SooLeader
International 500 Snowmobile Race
SooToday
Grocer 4 Good/Cafe 4 Good Abba Soo Fundraiser- Save the Cafe!, Coldest Night of the Year, Mary The Night, ACCANO Youth Council Caribana Bash
Sudbury.com
Downtown Sudbury, Sudbury Legal Clinic, The Gathering Place Coldest Night of the Year
ThoroldToday
Thorold Community Activities Group
TimminsToday
North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services, Coldest Night of the Year Anti-Hunger Coaliton, 100 Women Who Care
TorontoToday
Open-Ice Initiative
Spotted around the Village
Our Village has been busy! We’ve caught you in the wild, collaborating, celebrating and everything in between.
Check out this month's top sightings! 👇
On Feb. 22, Sudbury.com journalists Heidi Ulrichsen and Jenny Lamothe hosted a booth at the Girl Guides of Canada Thinking Day career fair.
More than 100 girls from Sparks to Pathfinders — kindergarteners to high schoolers — signed up for the event, which featured local female role models working in several different sectors.
Jenny and Heidi showed them the technology they use to do their jobs and then Heidi had the girls interview each other about what they wanted to do when they grew up. The resulting video is full of cuteness. You can watch it here.
The Halton teams had a few axes to grind at their (belated) holiday party.
The Sault team chucked some axes of their own:
Members of the Cares team gathered to celebrate the launch of the GoodMakers program at the Have a Heart for Sault Ste. Marie event on Feb. 11
Meet Islay 😻
Between belly rubs and meowing at nothing, this almost nine-year-old kitty enjoys being Nathan’s assistant on the news desk.
Proud pet parent: Nathan Taylor
See you in March!
