Vanessa Sibley

Vanessa Sibley

2018 Dedication Award - Nova Scotia/Halifax

Veith House

Nominator Comments:

Nominator Comments:

What did it mean for you to win the award?

It was a wonderful surprise to be nominated for the award and a great privilege to have the Bhayana Foundation recognize the work I do within the Supervised Access & Exchange program at Veith House. To know that my Executive Director nominated me for this award because she recognized & valued the work that the team & I do was a wonderful feeling.

What impact has this award had on you personally?

For me personally, it was an amazing & overwhelming to be recognized & honored for the work we do. It felt good to have that sense of connection & belonging alongside other amazing individuals, groups, organizations & programs. The award and financial support provided me the opportunity to invest in continued educational and personal development opportunities that otherwise (due to fee for access) would not have allowed me to participate in.

Do you have a compelling story that you would like to share on how the Bhayana Awards have made an impact?

Although I feel strong passion for the work I do & am dedicated to continuous development of the program, the pressures of large demanding workloads, time constraints & limited resources can at times, feel insurmountable. Being at the awards ceremony allowed me to be a part of the reaffirmation process that occurs when you are connected to the larger group of dedicated, passionate & committed individuals and groups like yourself and this experience reinvigorated & reaffirmed the vision, mission and purpose of the work we all do.

Aside from the awards ceremony organized by United Way, did your agency separately recognize or celebrate the winning of the award?

The award had an impact on the morale of the team at Veith house as there are many amazing programs, agencies & organizations participating in such great community works. This affirmed that a small organization such as ours is still significant within the broader community picture. We proudly posted news of the award on our social media pages and the physical award sits prominently on my desk for all to see.

Do you have any suggestions on how to improve the awards for next year?

At this time I do not. I think the event went perfectly.

Has participating in the process had an impact on your organization (morale ect)?

The programs within Veith House are eclectic and each program is distinctively unique and the award brought a sense of pride to the organization as a whole. It showed the staff that what they do is noticed outside of the organization which is always a good thing to feel.

Have you been helped by a human service champion? We would love to hear about it.

Submit your story