from City of Edmonton

Families, friends and supporters filled City Hall this evening to help celebrate this year’s Salute to Excellence Citation & Performance Awards. More than 60 Edmonton-based athletes, coaches and teams were selected to receive Performance Awards, along with seven distinguished Citation Award recipients.

City Councillors Ben Henderson and Andrew Knack welcomed and congratulated each recipient as they approached the stage to accept their award.

Citation Awards honour individuals or groups who have given more than five years of service as artists, volunteers or inspirational leaders in arts and culture, community service or sports.

Arts and Culture

Ida Beltran-Lucila: Beltran-Lucila is a highly accomplished dancer, teacher, dance therapy pioneer. A former principal dancer for Ballet Philippines, she has worked unceasingly to develop Philippine art and culture in Edmonton through projects like the Philippine Arts Festival, Edmonton Filipino Fiesta and The Learning Table

Community Service

Mufty Mathewson: A writer and photographer, Mathewson penned a memoir on her daughter’s recovery after a brain injury. She then volunteered with the Northern Alberta Brain Injury Society, and served as a board member and president. In 2015, at age 81, she started the REdress Photography Project to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

Orest Myckan: A key volunteer for Habitat for Humanity Edmonton, Myckan has contributed substantially through many roles, including builder, designer and acting executive director. Over a 27-year period, Myckan participated in over 30 Global Village teams, enriching both local and international communities.

Gerald Douglas “Bud” Salloum: Known as “Buddy the Clown”, Salloum is a community leader and philanthropist, serving Edmonton as a volunteer for more than 60 years. He helped establish Edmonton Caring Clowns, providing joy and laughter to patients in Edmonton-area health facilities.

Sports

Margie Ritchie: In 2018 and 2019, she became the first person to win back-to-back world age-group championships in Olympic distance triathlon and duathlon. A talented athlete and instructor, Ritchie has spent a decade introducing new swimmers to the water.

Bill and Catherine Suen: For more than 30 years the Suens have been enriching the lives of others through the sport of judo. Since 1990, through Kodokwai Judo Club, they have provided accessible judo programming at the Jamie Platz YMCA, mentoring new leaders within the club and the greater Edmonton community.

Performance Awards honour individuals, teams, groups or organizations who have gained outstanding recognition at the national or international level in the past year. The 2019 award recipients range from individual and team sports such as badminton, bowling, tennis and artistic swim. 

Since 1951, the Salute to Excellence Awards have honoured Edmontonians whose personal efforts, dedication and talents have contributed to the unique and diverse fabric of our city.

For the full list of this year’s award recipients, including biographies, please visit edmonton.ca/salute.