19-year-old named volunteer of the year.
Malinda Caron and Ashley Hiscott were on hand to help with the registration, gift bags and to sign autographs at the ninth annual Down Syndrome Association Charity Golf Classic on Monday, Aug. 8. Hiscott was also awarded as volunteer of the year at the event.
Jessica Cunha
Ashley Hiscott was named volunteer of the year at the ninth annual Down Syndrome Association Charity Golf Classic, held at the Kanata Golf and Country Club on Monday, Aug. 8.
Ashley, who takes part in the association’s work to learn program, volunteers her time for numerous organizations, while working at the Senate of Canada.
Ashley said she was happy she won.
“I'm very happy to receive this award for helping people,” she said in her acceptance speech.
Her mother, Donna, said she was extremely proud of her daughter.
“I was thrilled, I couldn’t believe it,” said Donna.
Ashley, 19, has a long list of achievements.
She still attends St. Peter’s Catholic High School in Orleans, even though she has already graduated. She received the Principle’s Award at the school in 2007, and the Child and Youth Friendly Ottawa Athelete of the Year Award in 2008.
Ashley has her black belt in Taekwondo, dances at Propeller Dance Studio, and spends two weeks every summer at Camp Davern, hosted by the YMCA-YWCA.
She volunteered for a project by the Ottawa Public Library, helping to put together around 10,000 welcome kits for new students.
Ashley also helped to facilitate a dance workshop at Carleton University for people with disabilities.
“People with Down syndrome can do a lot and have great potential,” said Donna. “It just amazes me what people with Down syndrome can do.”
Ashley was on hand to help with the Charity Golf Classic, signing autographs for the golfers, putting together gift bags and helping people register for the event.
The association’s work to learn program helps to show the community that people living with Down syndrome have the necessary skills and drive needed to succeed in the working world.
Indeed, Ashley’s friend Malinda Caron, 30, lives on her own in the east end and holds a steady job with a health care centre.
Caron also helped to keep the tournament running smoothly.
She said she likes attending the golf classic to sign autographs and help.
“It’s all about meeting the kids,” said Marc Desjardins, chair of the Down Syndrome Association National Capital Region. “They love this work because it’s really gratifying.”
The main fundraiser for the Down Syndrome Association, the classic attracted just shy of 130 golfers, and around 200 for the dinner.
“This is our main fundraiser for the entire year,” he said, adding the money from the golf classic funds about 90 per cent of the association’s doings throughout the year.
The funds raised help to sustain the Down Syndrome Association’s partnerships with various organizations, including art studio H’Art Ottawa, a clinic for adults with Down syndrome, the children’s clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and Hope Air, which provides flights for families who need health care.
This year, the money raised will also help fund two new ventures: Early Childhood Stimulation Sessions, for babies and young children to work on muscle stimulation during early development; and Road Map, a program offering parents support and education during all stages of a child’s development.
In the past eight years, the Charity Golf Classic has raised $300,000.
jessica.cunha@metroland.com