The Lynn Patrick Volunteer Award
Lynn Patrick
The Lynn Patrick Volunteer Award was created in 2019, in memory of this wonderful mentor and volunteer. Lynn embodied all the great qualities that any organization would wish to have working for them. He served as NSLA governance counsel, and was a tirelessly committed supporter and wonderful friend of the foundation.
The award is presented each year to a volunteer who exemplifies volunteer spirit and dedication to our mission.
2023 - Todd Baker & Ryan Lawson
Todd Baker
Born and raised in Calgary, Todd was active as a young boy in Scouts and Cadets and always had a strong interest in the military. He loves to spend time in nature and makes it a priority to spend time with family. Remembrance Day has always been an important day for Todd and his family.
Todd had worked in the landscape industry for 20 years before moving on to Rocky View County Cemetery Services. As part of this job, he became familiar with the NSLA program and began working on starting an NSLA ceremony in the County of Rocky View. Todd and Diana Baker began the No Stone Left Alone Ceremony at the Garden of Peace Cemetery in 2014 and began with a small group of Junior and Senior High students from St. Gabriel the Archangel school.
This event grew over the years to include other schools in the area and Mary Truong became the primary coordinator of the school participation portion including the speakers, choir and musicians. Together, Todd, Diana and Mary have made the ceremony a more complete event by recording it, creating videos that were used during covid restrictions, ensuring coverage in the local newspapers and inviting special guests from the surrounding areas.
The ceremony this year is expected to include 4 schools and approximately 100 students honouring over 500 veterans in the Field of Honour.
Ryan Lawson
“I was born and raised in Souris, MB, a town of approximately 1,800 people. I am married to Allison and we have 4 children, Gillian, Barrett, Jasper and Willa, along with two dogs Josie and Wilson. I am an associate member of the Royal Canadian Legion but didn’t have any immediate family members serve in the Military. I am a licensed Funeral Director, and I am currently working for Legacy Private Trust helping Funeral Homes with their prearranged funeral funding.
I remembered as a child going to Remembrance Day ceremonies held in our school gymnasium and remembering how we took it as an excuse to get out of classes and didn’t realize the true reason to remember our veterans. Years later, while working in Funeral Service, Allison and I were reading one of the Funeral service magazines and saw an article done with Maureen regarding her initiative, No Stone Left Alone, where students would attend their local cemetery and place poppies on veteran graves. Allison mentioned that it would be something we should propose to our children’s school Ecole Harrison, in Brandon, MB.
After proposing the program to the school Principal at the time, his response was “Let’s do it”. Our first ceremony was held in 2013 at the Brandon Municipal Cemetery and we hosted our small school of approximately 350 students. We were the first ceremony held East of the Alberta border.
After that first ceremony we had two other schools, Valleyview and St. Augustine, in Brandon approach us and ask to join in our ceremony for 2014. And since then, we have included Riverheights and the Western Canada Hockey Academy School also. In 2022 we hosted our largest ceremony in which we had just under 1000 students participating along with approximately 50 soldiers from both the RCHA and 2PPCLI out of Canadian Forces Base in Shilo.
Pictured: Ryan (center), at his ceremony in 2022 with Brandon East MLA Len Isleifson, Premier Heather Stefanson, Manitoba Minister of Education Wayne Ewasko, and Ryan’s parents Bill and Louise Lawson.
I have had the great privilege to work with some great teachers and staff at Ecole Harrison over the years in growing our Ceremony. Kim Schutte was one teacher that jumped on board day one and has helped in organizing each year. Without her I don’t know where we would be in Brandon. She has also helped in arranging soldiers to attend our ceremonies as her sister and brother-in-law both currently serve in our Military.
Every year I am amazed at how our small ceremony grew to be what it is today. The look on some of the children’s faces when they arrive at a cemetery and the respect they show while there has been nothing but amazing. It makes the reality of Remembrance, and why we remember, hit home.”
2022 - Maryanne Trofimuk & Debbie Persinger
Maryanne Trofimuk
In September 2014, Retired Major General Cam Ross booked a visit to Rockheights Middle School in the Greater Victoria School District. What Cam brought to Rockheights was an invitation to be the first school in British Columbia to hold an official No Stone Left Alone ceremony at the local Esquimalt Veteran’s Cemetery, “God’s Acre”.
After hearing the story of Maureen’s promise to her mother Lillian Mary Bianchini, a proud Canadian veteran of WWII to never forget her on Armistice Day, Principal Maryanne Trofimuk agreed to involve Rockheights that November.
Coming from a military family and serving in the 11th Service Battalion as a Reservist for 2 years, Maryanne was always a strong supporter of honouring service members. Maryanne’s father, MWO Philip Trofimuk proudly served in the RCAF for 35 years and was buried in his uniform on May 27, 2010 after he passed. Maryanne recognized that not only was NSLA an honourable way to support service members past, present and future, but to pay tribute to her own father.
Maryanne has led 7 NSLA ceremonies in her own schools; 6 at Rockheights Middle School and one at Cedar Hill Middle School in 2021. Ceremonies have never been the same; one involved full military support complete with Victoria Police Department motorcycle parade escort from the school to the cemetery with CFB Naden Band playing under the warm November sun followed the next day by a front page article in the local newspaper. Another ceremony involved a cold blustery snow covered morning, where the ceremony centered around a bluetooth speaker set on top of a gravestone, as it piped out O Canada, then the Last Post, then Reveille. The most memorable was the ceremony that started simultaneously in each classroom as a powerpoint and ended with each class walking individually throughout the day, ensuring there was distancing and cohort arrangements as they placed poppies on over 3000 headstones. That was the year of NSLA during Covid19.
The most touching NSLA observance that Maryanne was part of was a small community ceremony that she organized and led in November 2018 in Hatley Park Cemetery’s Veteran’s Field of Honour. The guest list included military parishioners, a local Veteran’s motorcycle club, the parish priest and Maryanne’s family. It was a rainy Saturday morning in November but the people came. With Bluetooth speaker and drenched speaker’s notes, after a moving 20-minute ceremony, attendees placed over 100 poppy painted rocks on the headstones. It was the most heartfelt ceremony of all NSLA ceremonies for Maryanne because earlier that week, her mom and she had painted the rocks at her mom’s kitchen table and despite her mom being ill, she made it out to the ceremony as well as placing a rock on her husband’s headstone, a headstone that her mom would rest under only 4 months later.
Despite being busy with a new school of over 500 students while also being involved in the building of a new school, Maryanne remains committed to helping Vancouver Island continue to grow No Stone Left Alone. The value of the ceremonies comes through in the poignant words of the students when they write their reflections describing the depth of meaning for them as they encounter the actual experience of placing a poppy on a headstone.
Debbie Persinger
Now living in Calgary, Debbie Persinger grew up in Chilliwack, BC. Her father was an RAF veteran and served in WWII where he met Debbie’s mother. This created a deep connection to the military for Debbie.
Debbie works part time in sales and has a passion for running. She has volunteered for the in-school mentoring program in Calgary for 7 years. She has been a volunteer for No Stone Left Alone for over 8 years. In her role as Regional Coordinator for Calgary and Area, she has been instrumental in understanding and promoting the mission of NSLA. She has also been a life long friend of NSLA founder Maureen Bianchini Purvis.
Debbie’s motto in life…because I can!
2021 - Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) Honourable Laurie D. Hawn, PC, CD
Laurie has been with NSLA since our first ceremony in 2011 and has remained an incredible supporter and volunteer since. He is consistently involved, offering his professional and expert advice when needed, works with all so well and has been one of our best fundraising individuals without us asking. He has become a dear friend, sometimes referred to as the “Godfather of NSLA,” although all joking aside he really has led quietly from the sidelines. He is committed so much to our veterans, offers his community service when it’s needed, and always has a smile and a positive spirit.
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Laurie joined the RCAF as a pilot in 1964 and served for over 30 years, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He served an additional seven years as Honourary Colonel of 417 Combat Support Squadron and 401 Tactical Fighter Squadron. Laurie held many senior staff positions; flew over 7,000 jet hours in many aircraft types, including the Starfighter and the CF-18; commanded a CF-18 Tactical Fighter Squadron; and was the Wing Operations Officer at 4 Wing Cold Lake.
Laurie at Beechmount Cemetery in Edmonton in 2013 and 2021, with Beckett Yates - grandson of NSLA Founder Maureen Bianchini Purvis.
After the RCAF, Laurie took on roles in the financial services industry, and then entered federal politics in 2003, becoming MP for Edmonton Centre in January 2006. He would go on to serve in a variety of roles at the federal level before his retirement in 2015. Since retiring, he has continued his commitment to public service as a member of the Edmonton Police Commission, a trustee of the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, and as a member of other boards, including NSLA. He is married to Judy, his wife of 52 years, and thoroughly enjoys time with their two married children and spouses and, especially, their two grandchildren.
You can see Laurie’s full bio here.
Left to right: Ethan hartman, dawson hartman, barbara fonteyne, rhonda hartman, darrell hartman
2020 - Hartman Family
Tribute from Maureen Bianchini Purvis, NSLA Founder, President & Chair
The Hartman family - Darrell, Rhonda, Ethan and Dawson, and Rhonda’s wonderful mother, Barbara Fonteyne - have been absolutely instrumental in the development of NSLA.
It was many years ago when Rhonda and I first met and within minutes I knew this girl had a heartfelt and personal connection to Remembrance Day. She began by supporting one site, then helped solidify our signature Beechmount event, grew the Edmonton region, moved on to the national sites, and never stopped growing the program wherever she saw a need.
Rhonda is a true leader and I have never met anyone so bright, so enthusiastic, kind and devoted to a cause. She is a beautiful spirit and I am so grateful that she was willing to share her volunteer time and get her family involved in No Stone Left Alone. Rhonda and her husband Darrell have worked numerous hours, at various tasks, in various weather conditions to help where needed. Her young boys (men now) Ethan 19 and Dawson 18 took on the responsibility of site leads, social media experts, ceremony site supports and continue to offer their time by helping their mom and dad, go out to the cemeteries and pick up, dry and clean the thousands of poppies that have been placed, to be reused for next year.
As for her dear mother Barbara, when we as an organization chose to take the pins off our poppies for safety, Barbara sat, day after day, month after month, taking the little black dots and pasting them back on over thousands of poppies. 60 thousand!!! It was Barbara’s father, Rhonda’s grandfather who served in World War I on Vimy Ridge. I respect this family and honour them all. This family shows that the legacy of remembrance is being passed down by generation to generation and they show by their service the importance of volunteering to ensure Remembrance Day is honoured and will continue to be.
2019 - Jamie Lantz
Left to Right: Maureen Bianchini Purvis, Jamie Lantz, Randall Purvis
Tribute from Maureen Bianchini Purvis, NSLA Founder, President & Chair
I have the privilege of being the Founder and President of No Stone Left Alone. With this privilege comes opportunity for me to be creative and ensure the legacy of No Stone continues. I want to share with you, what I believe is the measure of a man, trust, wisdom, patience, kindness, service and integrity. I was lucky enough to work with a man who embodies all those qualities. Sadly, he recently passed away.
His name was Lynn Patrick. Lynn was our Governance Counsel for 8 years. He literally helped put NSLA on the map, licensing us, in all provinces, managed our legal affairs, governed our Board of Directors as Consul and most importantly was a long-time neighbor and dear friend.
So tonight, for the first time, in his honour, I have created the No Stone Left Alone, Lynn Patrick Volunteer Appreciation award. As you all know, a young charity cannot grow, without incredible volunteer support. I am grateful for all.
So, Ladies and gentlemen, please help me recognize another man, who I believe holds those same qualities. I would like to introduce you to our long-time volunteer, Mr. Jamie Lantz, member of our Board of Directors and our web master. Jamie is kind, smart, clock-work reliable, always available to answer any questions, has helped further our mission with his Board work and is a genuine spirit whom I, and my staff love working with.