News

For those who would
by those who can.

Brian Nichol Wins 2018 For Those Who Would OCR Humanitarian Award

Brian Nichol of Toronto was presented the 2018 For Those Who Would OCR Humanitarian Award on Friday, August 10, 2018 during the North American OCR Championships in Stratton Mountain, Vermont. The award, given annually, is co-sponsored by the North American OCR Championships and Mud Run Guide.  Nichol, the fourth recipient of the award, not only inspired the selection committee by his many selfless acts of service with disadvantaged youth of Toronto, but also inspired those in attendance at the awards dinner.

Brian’s nominator, Jesse Weeks, had the following to say about Brian in his nomination.

Brian has been training homeless youth to prepare for OCR races for 6 years. He runs multiple training sessions weekly (on his own time) where he rewards attendance and effort by taking the youth to OCR races. He pays for the races by funds that he also raises through his group called “ONE Strength OCR“. His selfless commitment to bettering the lives of these at-risk youth has seen many positive outcomes such as: Youth who have obtained employment, quit drugs/drinking, lost weight, or generally increased self confidence. Brian truly deals with the most challenging youth you could imagine. Currently, he is training with a female who is transitioning to a male, a male with a major learning disability, a female with schizophrenia, a male struggling with substance abuse, a recovered alcoholic who has just celebrated 6 months clean, and a severely overweight female.

I have had the pleasure to train with Brian for 6 years and have seen that he is consistently altruistic, responsible and compassionate. He always gives of himself selflessly expecting nothing in return. There is no doubt his work improves the lives of others through selfless, courageous, and compassionate acts making him a true humanitarian in every sense of the definition.”

 

In addition to Brian, three other finalists were honored at the dinner: Lindsay Webster, Jeff Murphy, and Bill Slaughter.  All of the finalists contributed to their respective communities in different ways, which is one of the things that makes this such an enjoyable event for our organization.

Share Now:

Share Button