University of Western Ontario student awarded 2009
Tim Hickman Memorial Health and Safety Scholarship
This evening City Council recognized Western student Martin Badowski as the 2009 recipient of The Tim Hickman Memorial Health and Safety Scholarship. This annual $3,000 Scholarship for students in an occupational and/or public health and safety related program was established in 2006 by the Corporation of the City of London and CUPE Locals 101 and 107, as a tribute to city employee Tim Hickman, who died in service to the community at age 21.
Scholarship recipient Martin Badowski is in his third year of the Honours Specialization Health Science Program at the University of Western Ontario and has an impressive array of work and volunteer experience in health, safety and community-support endeavours. Martin is especially proud of an upcoming initiative which he conceived and designed as an opportunity for Grade 6 students to learn basic first aid skills.
Called Jr. Medics, the program is slated for an October implementation in 74 elementary schools across the Thames Valley District School Board. Free on-site classroom instruction will be delivered by two-member teams consisting of student volunteers trained to teach the first aid program by the highly qualified members of University of Western Ontario's Student Emergency Response Team (SERT).
In announcing the 2009 recipient, Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best noted, “Through this Annual Memorial Scholarship, the City continues to pay tribute to the memory of employee Tim Hickman. The Award’s selection process reinforces the importance of striving for excellence and is an ongoing reminder of Tim’s dedicated service to our community. We congratulate Martin Badowski, and are confident he will excel in making safety a priority in his professional career as well as his ongoing volunteer contributions."
The Selection Committee that chose Martin as its fourth award recipient includes Shirley Hickman, mother of Tim, for whom the award is named. In addition to staff from the City's Human Resource Division and the Environmental and Engineering Services Department, there is Committee member representation for CUPE Local 101 and CUPE Local 107 and the London Chapter of the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering. Details of the application requirements, selection criteria and the submission process are available on www.london.ca along with profiles of previous award winners.
