Whitehorse, November 25 2009 - The 15th Gala de la francophonie held on Friday November 13th at the Yukon Arts Centre enchanted more than 250 people. According to the organizing committee, it was the best attended gala in the 15 years of the event. The Gala paid tribute to six individuals and a business who distinguished themselves in various areas of community development and also highlighted the numerous artistic talents in the Yukon French community. 2009 Award Winners:
DeRuyter-Gendreau Award (education) - André Bourcier
Pépin-Landreville Award (culture and communication) - Hélène Saint Onge
Excellence Award Comité Espoir Jeunesse - Émilie Meredith
Excellence Award for Health in French - Ann Chapman
Binet-Dugas Award (Services in French) - Arctic Star Printing
Alma-Castonguay Award (Les EssentiElles) - Julie Ménard
Tremblay-Létourneau Award (volunteer involvement) - Claude GosselinThe cultural sector of the Association franco-yukonnaise (AFY) would like to thank all the volunteers who, through their generosity and talents, helped ensure that this event ran smoothly. Also, thank you to all our financial partners and sponsors. Finally, a big thank you to the Yukon public!
Since 1982, the Association franco-yukonnaise has been the official voice of about 3,550 Yukon Francophones, 1,250 whom have French as their mother tongue. A non-profit organization, AFY aims to improve the Yukon Francophone's quality of life in French.-- 30 --