A “professional juggler” is Orillia’s 2017 Citizen of the Year.
Gill Tillmann used that metaphor to describe herself after she won the award Monday night.
“I dropped a few balls along the way, but I picked most of them up,” Tillmann quipped.
She can be forgiven for the odd fumble.
Already involved in many causes, including Couchiching Jubilee House and Mariposans 4 Refugees, Tillmann took on the volunteer role of chair of the Orillia 2018 Ontario Winter Games. It’s a massive undertaking that will see thousands of athletes descend on Orillia and area in March to compete in multiple disciplines.
Tillmann, a life coach who was named Orillia’s 2016 Woman of the Year, said the accolades, while appreciated, are a minor detail when looking at the big picture.
“My fulfilment comes from (results),” she said.
And she gets results.
She was co-chair of Mariposans 4 Refugees, which helped bring a refugee family from Syria to Orillia. While the family has settled here, Tillmann’s work is not done. She remains close to the family and continues to offer her assistance. The same goes for Couchiching Jubilee House, which offers transitional housing and support for vulnerable women and their children.
Tillmann said she was “humbled” by the Citizen of the Year award, especially considering the company she was in. Also nominated were Kim Fedderson, Doreen Field, Dorothy Hanwell, James Maxwell, Heather Mills, Michael O’Connor, Linsey O’Donnell, Richard Purcell and Glenn Wagner.
Tillmann was grateful not only to be in that company, but also to be selected by a panel that included former Citizens of the Year Anderson Charters, Doug Lewis, Gini Stringer and Bruce Waite.
“They have persevered through a lot of issues” and continue to contribute to the community, she said. “I respect every single one of them.”
Mayor Steve Clarke and Coun. Ralph Cipolla, also former Citizens of the Year, presented the award to Tillmann at the beginning of Monday’s council meeting.
“On behalf of Orillia city council and the Citizen of the Year panel, I’d like congratulate Gill and to thank all the nominees for their incredible dedication and contributions to our community. Our city is a better place because of your efforts and commitment to the betterment of Orillia,” said Clarke.
Cipolla and Clarke were non-voting members of the 2017 Citizen of the Year panel, which also included Linda Rodenburg, of Lakehead University’s office of community programs, and former Orillia Packet & Times editors and reporters Dave Dawson and Nathan Taylor. The award had been handed out annually by the Packet & Times until the newspaper was closed in November. That’s when city council decided to get involved to keep the tradition going.
