During a week recognizing the work of social workers across the province/country, one Prince George resident stood out.
Vincent Sherry was the surprise recipient of the Bridget Moran Advancement of Social Work in Northern Communities Award.
Sherry was presented the award at a March 7 luncheon celebrating Social Work Week 2012 after thinking he was just there to emcee the event.
"I was overwhelmed and surprised," said Sherry, who came to Prince George in 1976 and was involved in setting up St. Patrick's Transition House and the Soup Bus. When the bus quit running, Sherry asked St. Vincent de Paul if the meals could be served from their kitchen.
Over the years, he has also been involved with integrating people special needs into the public school system and led groups for abusive men.
Sherry is also a long-time member and activist in the B.C. Association for Social Workers and the BC Government Employees Union and has worked in Prince George at the Ministry of Children and Family Development and Community Living BC.
The Bridget Moran award is presented yearly to someone who actively promotes the practice of social work and advocates for the profession while maintaining a consistently high standard for social work practice.
Sherry is someone who will be very vocal about trying to bring about policy change or advocating for his clients, said Dawn Hemingway, vice-chair of the northern branch of the B.C. Association of Social Workers and chair of the UNBC School of Social Work.
"At the same time, he's always there behind the scenes trying to help other social workers and other people in the community to make things happen. So he's very compassionate, consistent in his work and very passionate about having a just society. So everything that he does, whether it's on the job or whether it's his activities in the community seem to reflect that," Hemingway said.
It's through his family and the support of various agencies that Sherry said he's able to deliver his work and that the award inspires him to continue.
"It certainly motivates me to keep staying involved in community events and community issues," he said. Next up for Sherry is the culmination of a year's work in the first northern conference on developmental disabilities and aging, held March 27 and 28.
