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Chair of Nipissing Serenity Hospice receives prestigious Senate award for volunteer work

'She's an amazing lady, very involved, very passionate and very dedicated. She puts in a tremendous amount of hours. That's why she was recognized' Senator Lucie Monicon'

The chair of Nipissing Serenity Hospice, Mathilde Bazinet, is one of 12 Franco-Ontarians nominated by Senator Lucie Moncion, to receive a prestigious award from the Senate for the work they do in"helping improve the lives of their fellow citizens and promote their communities beyond their borders."

Each Senator has the opportunity to recognize 12 individuals. 

"There are 24 senators from Ontario and I'm the only Francophone, so what I choose to do was recognize Francophones," said Senator Lucie Moncion.

On November 6th, the Senate celebrated the 150th anniversary of its first official session. In the weeks following, ceremonies have been held honouring the nominees at receptions across the country. Each received an anniversary medal. The front depicts the Senate's emblem. The back features the Senate Chamber inscribed with the recipient's name. They were also presented with a certificate which reads,

'On behalf of the Senate of Canada, the Senate Sesquicentennial Medal is hereby conferred upon you in commemoration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Senate of Canada and in recognition of your valuable service to the nation.'

The 12 Franco-Ontarians selected by Senator Moncion, received their awards from the Speaker of the Senate, the Honourable George Flury during a reception at Parliament HIll. Each was recognized for the contributions they have made whether it be in art, culture, literature, health, education, business or social development. 

It was noted that in addition to being a member of the Ontario Bar, an educator, and nurse, Bazinet has been a driving force behind the creation of Nipissing Serenity Hospice.

Prior to becoming a Senator, Moncion was President and CEO of the Caisse-Populaire in North Bay. She met Bazinet at a meeting where the hospice chair made a presentation as part of a fundraising campaign to build a residential hospice to serve the people of Nipissing and East Parry Sound.

Moncion said she saw back then, just how passionate Bazinet is about the work she is doing for the community. 

"She is an amazing lady, very involved, very passionate, and very dedicated. She has been working every day for the past five years, with others on the Nipissing Serenity Hospice," said Moncion.

"She puts in a tremendous amount of hours, and the time and dedication that she's brought to all the projects that she was involved in over the years. She's an amazing lady, so that's why she was recognized." 

Bazinet expressed surprise at learning she had been nominated, crediting a strong team of volunteers for getting the job done.

"As far as the hospice here, we would have never accomplished what we did had it not been for all of the support I had, and really strong support from our members of our board. Some really dedicated people embraced our mission and joined us in this long struggle."

Ground breaking for the hospice is scheduled for the end of March.

Bazinet is no stranger to volunteer work, as was pointed out during the ceremony. 

"I was a commissioner with the ONTC from 2004 to 2011. I've done a lot of volunteer work in the nursing field, being on various committees. When I was in Ottawa, I did a lot of volunteer work with women that had been abused. And as a young nurse, I did a lot of volunteer work in a very poor section of Gatineau. We had set up a network to be able to provide care to families that were not getting the medical care they needed," explained Bazinet.  

"The ceremony was very humbling. It was memorable for me, and to hear someone else describe the volunteer work you've done over your lifetime, you think, it has been a good life. I was so blessed to have the opportunity to do these things."

Moncion gave her group of recipients high praise for the work they continue to do in their community. 

"I said to them that in Ontario, there's so many people who give their time and energy and that's what makes this province great and this country great, because if everyone was paid for everything they do, I don't think we would be as far along as we are," said Moncion

The Senator expects between 700 and 800 Canadians will be recognized at various ceremonies right across the country.