Congratulations to Daniel Haines – this year’s recipient of the Literacy Champion Award!
The Edmonton Literacy Coalition established the Literacy Champion Award in 2013 to recognize and honour those in our community who have demonstrated a dedication and commitment to literacy and learning.
The award recognizes the valuable contributions made by Edmontonians to literacy and celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of literacy advocates. Recipients are honoured for their work in a diverse range of areas, including family, Aboriginal, health, workplace, and community literacy.
Daniel has been a strong advocate for literacy in the city of Edmonton, in the province of Alberta and nationally in Canada. Since Danny started with P.A.L.S. 11 years ago he has represented the face of literacy.
Highlights of His Advocacy for Literacy
- In 2006 Danny became more involved in literacy by joining the Students for Students Program at P.A.L.S which led to his advocacy.
- He was The Alberta Student Representative in Ottawa at the 2007 and 2008 Literacy Action Day.
- He was the first Adult Literacy Student to speak before the Canadian Senate.
- Danny was the Student Director on the provincial Literacy Alberta Board for seven years.
- He was featured on the National Adult Literacy Database in 2008 and 2010.
- Danny was the Key Note speaker at the Pan Canada conference for Literacy in 2009.
- Danny has was the Key Note speaker at the United Way of the Capital Region in 2009.
- He was the client representative on their poster for the United Way Campaign in 2009.
- Danny spoke to 13 businesses and organizations in 2014 and 2015 as a representative of P.A.L.S. and literacy for the United Way Campaign. The groups ranged from 400 people to 4 people. At each presentation he moved the people who heard his story.
Danny’s Media Advocacy.
- Danny has had multiple articles in local newspapers (the Edmonton Journal, The Edmonton Sun, The Edmonton Examiner, The Edmonton Seniors Magazine, etc.)
- Danny was featured in a Literacy Video with Shaw Cable in 2011.
- He is featured in a video about Literacy on the Advanced Education Website
Awards:
- He received the Alberta Council of the Federation Award in 2008.
- In 2013 Danny was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his efforts in promoting Literacy in Alberta.
Danny is a humble and unassuming man who has become a charismatic and inspiring speaker. He is a role model within the local literacy community. He is always ready and willing to share his literacy journey and help people with low level literacy to realize that they are not alone. That they too can work to overcome their reading and writing problems.
“If our message of improving our own literacy can reach others and help them to help themselves, then we all become a part of the solution. I really do believe that every person can make a difference.” – Danny Haines 2016