By Kathryn Stocks
On September 15, the Scarborough Walk of Fame inducted 10 community members from local, national and world stages in a well-run and thoroughly enjoyable ceremony at Scarborough Town Centre. The last Walk of Fame event in Scarborough took place in 2018 so they had some catching up to do and presentations were made in both the morning and afternoon.
It was a positive event that emphasized the achievements of those who appreciate Scarborough, whether they grew up, went to school or worked here. The inductees for 2022 were:
- Gerry Dee – comedian
- Dr. Andrew Lentini – conservation leader
- Natalie Spooner – hockey star
- Dr. Paul Caulfield – health advocate for undocumented immigrants
- Ron Nelson – hip hop, reggae and dancehall music visionary
- Lilly Singh – entertainer
- Shawn Allen – business leader
- Andrew Arifuzzaman – academic and health leader
- Glenn De Baeremaeker – municipal politician and environmentalist
- Randell Adjei – author, arts educator and community leader
Four Rising Stars were also awarded at the ceremony. These are young people 25 and under who are showing promise at an early age with a growing list of achievements. The Rising Stars for 2022 were:
- Maya Morose – A Trent University student studying gender and social justice, Maya has founded Pinball for Change raising funds for numerous initiatives. She has raised funds for Ecuador classrooms and local initiatives including Holland Bloorview Kids rehabilitation Hospital.
- Kataem Enoth-Luwunzu O’Connor – This young actor grew up in Scarborough and has been featured in numerous TV Shows including Degrassi, L.A. Complex and Canada’s longest running series Heartland.
- Harsihi Savo – This focused youth is studying Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences & Co-op (BioMed) at McMaster University. At the age of 14 she began a long involvement with the Scarborough Historical Museum.
- Aisha Farman Khan – The founder of “my heART”, a volunteer, not-for-profit organization dedicated to spreading creativity and using the arts to help others. Aisha has worked in hospitals and homeless shelters to engage more people in the creative process.
The Rising Star induction began in 2018 and will now have eight members; the Walk of Fame was established in 2006 and there are 55 recipients. It is now overseen and organized by the Scarborough Community Renewal Organization (SCRO), which deserves credit for this excellent event. Its volunteers chose a diverse and talented group of inductees whose accomplishments and speeches were thought-provoking and hopeful. The event was a positive reflection of the people whose accomplishments put Scarborough on the map. The inductees’ stars have been embedded at centre court in the Scarborough Town Centre.
Recipients affiliated with Centennial were inductee Natalie Spooner who grew up and played hockey here with the West Hill Golden Hawks, and Rising Star Maya Morose who became passionate about social justice activism as a student at Sir Oliver Mowat.