"Our motto is to help people develop connections that lead to relationships so people can lead meaningful lives," she said, after accepting her plaque.

 Photo: Winner Peter Bascan of the 2010 Holnbeck Appreciation Award, left, is congratulated by Gordon Holnbeck and Lucinda Hage, founder of Heads Up For Inclusion, winner of the 2019 Gordon and Arbie Holnbeck Award during the 2010 Gordon and Arbie Holnbeck Awards ceremony at Peterborough Square Saturday. The ceremony was attended by 50 people. Photo by: Clifford Skarstedt, Examiner

The awards, hosted by the Peterborough Council for Persons with Disabilities, coincide with the opening ceremonies for Access Awareness Week.

"It's so nice of the council to carry this on every year," Holnbeck toldThe Examiner after the awards.

Also honoured was Peter Bascan, the president of the Peterborough chapter of People First, an advocacy group for people with intellectual disabilities.

Bascan was honoured with a 2010 Holnbeck Appreciation Award.

"We help people stand up for their rights if they want to be advocated for," he said. "That's very important."

Hage's group, Heads Up for Inclusion, is a non-profit organization dedicated to matching students with intellectual disabilities with other students in schools.

The peer-matching project, called Amigos, began as a school outreach for Heads Up for Inclusion in 2001.

"People start to see people for who they are once the relationship develops," she said. "Pretty soon, the disability isn't very important anymore."

Hage said teaching children early that it's important to accept everyone for who they are, lays a positive foundation for the future.

Photo: Peter Bascan, right, recipient of the 2010 Holnbeck Appreciation Award, celebrates with People First member, Shane Marshall during the 2010 Gordon and Arbie Holnbeck Awards ceremony at Peterborough Square Saturday. The ceremony was attended by 50 people. Photo by, Clifford Skarstedt, Examiner

"I think attitudes are starting to change towards people who in the past have been labeled disabled," he said.

"There is a greater acceptance now of people with differences."

The idea for Heads Up for Inclusion came to Hage as an effort to make her son's school more inclusive.

Her son Paul, 24, developed tuberous sclerosis complex as an infant, a condition that resulted in a seizure disorder and an intellectual disability.

There was a solemn tone to this year's awards ceremony following the death last week of local advocate Michael Townsend, who was to be this year's awards ceremony MC.

Tow nsend, a devoted local historian, was a vocal advocate for the rights of people with disabilities.

Lois Harte-Maxwell from the Peterborough Council for Persons with Disabilities took over as the MC.

Before the awards were handed out, Laurie Wuis, chairwoman of the Access Awareness Committee, performed a song on the guitar in Townsend's honour.

"I think the recipients are excellent picks," Harte- Maxwell said.

"Peter is so marvelous in what he's done. He shows so much courage and a lot of strength to do what he's been doing.

"He has really turned the world around a little. We have a lot of people in this community, not looking backward, but looking forward."

About 50 people attended the awards ceremony.

T h e Holnbeck Award Committee has representatives from the Peterborough City-County Disaster Trust Fund, the Council for Persons with Disabilities, the Community Accessibility Advisory Committee for the county and Smith- Ennismore-Lakefield Township and staff from Peterborough City and County.

Link to Peterborough Examiner's Holnbeck Awards Photo Gallery