Melissa Boutilier and her team at the Prince Rupert Northern View are the recipients of the 2020 Concord Pacific Ma Murray Award for Community Service.
Boutilier was nominated at the end of February for the prestigious British Columbia/Yukon Newsmedia Association (BCYCNA) award for the work she and her team at The Northern View did to raise funds and awareness for North Coast Community Services (NCCS) through the inaugural Northern View Tyee Fishing Derby.
In her nomination letter to the BCYCNA judging panel, executive director for NCCS, Sherry Beal applauded Boutilier and her team for the project.
“More than $10,000 was raised for North Coast Community Services at the inaugural The Northern View Tyee Fishing Derby in September 2019. NCCS will be using those proceeds toward a new child care development centre in Prince Rupert,” Beal said, “But what happened during the month-long lead up to the event and since has been even more beneficial for NCCS than the $10,000.”
“NCCS was put in the spotlight. So much so, that since the event, doors that were previously closed to us are now open.”
“At the event, people came up to us and told us that prior to the event people had no clue who we were or what we did,” Beal said.
“Now they do and are taking advantage of our services.”
“We at NCCS can’t begin to express our appreciation and gratitude for what Melissa and her team at The Northern View did for us.”
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Named after legendary Lilloet newspaper publisher Ma Murray, the 2020 awards ceremony was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former Prince Rupertite Tara Jean Stevens, former Breakfast TV host, now radio personality, and news anchor Jay Durant hosted the event via livestream from their homes.
With Boutilier’s win, Stevens gave a shout out to her hometown.
“Prince Rupert, my hometown …. wooo!”.
The silver went to Crystal Schick of the Vancouver North Shore News for her work on the North Shore Sport Hall of Fame and the bronze went to the Peace Arch News for their White Rock Pier Restoration campaign.
“This was big! It was relevant, well-covered, and impressively engaging. A big boost to the community. Well done!,” the judges said of Boutilier’s campaign.
The Northern View also earned a bronze for the BCYCNA Newspaper Promotion Award.
The Ma Murray Awards recognize the achievements of the association’s 95 member newspapers in British Columbia and Yukon. Dedicated to celebrating excellence the BCYCNA has been hosting the Ma Murray Awards for almost a century.