Here’s some of the incredible women in Hamilton making the city a better place

There is a long history of women in Hamilton doing incredible things to help support and build our community.

There is a long history of women in Hamilton doing incredible things to help support and build our community.

Women in our community’s past have led educational reform, have fought for women’s reproductive rights, have built organizations that have impacted and still continue to serve the needs of generations of Hamiltonians.

This week, the YWCA of Hamilton celebrated a number of women who are today making a difference in Hamilton and beyond at the Women of Distinction (WOD) awards.

Here are some of those women and a brief breakdown of the unbelievable work they are doing in our city.

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Chyler Sewell

Sewell was the winner of the inaugural Young Trailblazer Award at the WODs. This award honours exceptional young women who are creating change in Hamilton. Sewell is and Anishinaabekwe youth from Garden River First Nation who attends Westmount highschool. She is a published writer and an Ambassador of Hope for We Matter, an Indigenous youth-led non-profit organization that promotes physical and mental health and well-being, and is a member of the Youth Action Council for the SPACE Youth Centre.

Emily O’Brien

O’Brien was honoured as a WOD for business leadership and entrepreneurship. O’Briend founded Comeback Snacks in 2018, a boutique popcorn company inspired by the recipes used by inmates of the women’s prison where Emily served a brief term. O’Brien has said her mission at Comeback Snacks is to provide high quality, healthy, and tasty snacks for people to enjoy while also providing inspiration and training for ex-convicts looking to start fresh. She has advocated for prison reform and has sat with officials from city halls across Ontario.

Lena Sutton

Hamilton’s Lena Sutton is well-known for her advocacy for workers’ rights. She was awarded the WOD for Lifetime Achievement. For a half-century, Sutton has been advocating for fair hiring, pay equity, women’s leadership, and protection of Steelworkers widow’s pensions. She has provided valuable support for Hamilton’s food banks and has helped thousands of local low-income people file their taxes and get out to vote. Sutton is undeniably a force in Hamilton.

Kayonne Christy

Christy was honoured as a Young Woman of Distinction at the WODs. Christy co-founded the McMaster Womanists, the Black Aspiring Physicians of McMaster, and the Black Outreach Leadership Directive. During her time at McMaster, she was a vocal anti-carding activist, the convener of the Race, Racialization & Racism working group of McMaster’s President’s Advisory Committee on Building an Inclusive Community, a member of the Afro-Caribbean Canadian Association of Hamilton, and a board member of the Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre.

Dr. Heather Sheardown

Sheardown was honoured at the WODs for her work in Science, Technology and Trades. She is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at McMaster University and is an accomplished researcher, engineer, teacher, mentor and entrepreneur. She has an esteemed international reputation for her research and holds a prestigious Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Ophthalmic Biomaterials. As one of the first female engineering faculty at McMaster, Heather has been a trailblazer for women, fighting for equality and the promotion of women in science and technology.

Other WOD honourees doing outstanding work in Hamilton:

ARTS | CULTURE | DESIGN: Diana Weir – former executive director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP: Monique Lavallee – advocate for Indigenous peoples and their right to self-determination, Executive Director of Niwasa Kendaaswin Teg.
EDUCATION | MENTORSHIP: Alfredine (Linda) Plourde – founded Protecting Canadian Children and has voluntarily devoted endless hours advocating for children exposed to physical, sexual and psychological abuse
HEALTH: Dr. Audrey Hicks – founding director of the MacWheelers and MSFitt Exercise Rehabilitation Programs for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and multiple sclerosis (MS)
OUTSTANDING SMALL BUSINESS: Blueberry Therapy – multidisciplinary clinic providing Pelvic Health and Pediatric therapy services.

Photo courtesy YWCA Hamilton’s Facebook page