The Maple Ridge Community Foundation held its annual Citizen of the Year Awards on Saturday night, April 12, honouring three outstanding members of the community. Well-known veterinarian Dr. Adrian Walton was chosen for the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, Lucy Meechan was honoured with the Teesha Sharma Memorial Award, and Noah Augustine was selected for the Youth Achievement Award. “It was a night where I was so proud of the people in that room, and it was a great celebration,” said Kevin Nosworthy, president of the foundation, after the night at Meadow Gardens Golf Club.
Walton said all of the nominees were impressive community volunteers, and he was surprised and humbled to be chosen the winner. “It was a great evening, and a whole pile of my friends were there with me,” he said. Walton is well known for the extra work he does, frequently called on by the SPCA or people in the community to help animals in distress, or needing emergency veterinary care. It could be boa constrictors that need to find new homes, or a deer that has been hit by a vehicle. He has volunteered to give free exams and vaccinations for the pets of homeless people, and spends a lot of his spare time helping abandoned and neglected reptiles and exotics find homes. Walton is regularly in the media, such as when he recently saved a goose that had been shot with an arrow, or used a shot of naloxone to save a dying raccoon. Over 18 years in Maple Ridge, he has been of service many times. “I still love my job, and that has everything to do with the people of Maple Ridge, and their love for animals.”
Walton won a $2,500 donation in his name, which he directed to Katie’s Place Animal Shelter. Meechan is a notary public, a mother, and volunteers her time with Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Community Services, Cythera House, the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation and other local organizations and causes that arise – for example, she offered a free speculation tax clinic for seniors last year. Meechan, 39, became a single parent without a job in 2016, and said community agencies were a big support to her. Now she has a career, has remarried, and balances work and motherhood with giving back. “Being involved in the community always makes me feel good,” she said. “I used a lot of the programs that I now support. They got me through some of the most difficult times of my life.” The Youth Achievement Award winner was impressive in how he encouraged his friends and others to also offer their time, said Nosworthy. Augustine’s volunteer work is a testament to the power of small acts making a big impact. As a volunteer with the Breakfast Club at Maple Ridge Secondary School, supported by the Friends In Need Food Bank, he helped distribute meals to students in need. One unforgettable moment came when a student asked him if their friend could grab some food. When Augustine said yes, the student turned to their friend and said, “See, don’t be embarrassed. Come eat with us!” That simple moment opened Augustine’s eyes to the real impact of his volunteer work – not just offering a meal, but offering dignity and support to students who might otherwise go without. Also nominated for lifetime achievement awards were Kim Dumore and Gerry Pinel. The other nominees for the Teesha Sharma Memorial Award were Abby Lizee and Tyson Aubin, and nominated in the youth category were Madison McCarron and Brienna Fontaine. All had impressive resumes of community service, said Nosworthy. The Teesha Sharma Memorial award is to recognize an adult between 20 to 40 years of age, who has made outstanding contributions towards the community, or nationally and/or internationally. The youth category award recognizes a youth 19 or younger.
Read more at: https://mapleridgenews.com/2025/04/15/maple-ridge-vet-honoured-at-citizen-of-the-year-awards/