Rick Shaver is Recipient of the 2016 Mary Knowles Award

On Friday, April 7 during the BNC Awards Gala, Rick Shaver, General Manager, TC Media Cornwall Market was recognized with the coveted Mary Knowles Award for his generous community contributions and dedication to the newspaper industry.

“I am very honoured to have received this award,” said Shaver. “The work I do in my community is to make it a better place to live, to build a stronger foundation for growth, and for the next generation to create a great home for those that live here. None of this would be possible if not for my great family, supportive friends, associates and my staff who work with me daily on helping the community.”

Rick may be a familiar face to those attending the OCNA Spring Convention and gala year after year. He has served on the association’s board of directors for 16 years, lending his knowledge and passion for the industry and acting as President in 2007.

Rick has dedicated an incredible 40 years of service to the community newspaper industry. In 1985, he co-founded the Cornwall Seaway News and ensured the community newspaper remained just that – a very large part of its community. Despite changes in technology and the way readers receive their news, Rick’s commitment to the product has not changed. He continues to build relationships, encourage his staff to do the same, and provides the community with a gateway to share their stories.

Rick has been nicknamed the ‘Godfather of Pizza’ and continues to coordinate the Kinsmen Club of Cornwall’s Annual Pizza Party, which pits eight local restaurants against each other in a friendly competition to discover Cornwall’s best pizza. Now in its 11th year, the fundraiser has collected $140,000 for local charities.

He also helps with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Cornwall’s Italian Night, which typically sells out and attracts roughly 300 guests each year to raise money for those affected by MS. Rick’s close ties with Big Brothers Big Sisters has seen him participate in bowl-a-thons, and he continues to support the Boys and Girls Club of Cornwall and the St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences. He was recognized for his tremendous volunteer contributions with a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Rick’s daughters, Kelli and Christine both attended the gala and watched proudly as their Dad received the monumental award. The siblings recently welcomed children of their own, making Rick a very proud Grandpa and putting his wife Brenda on Grandma duty for the night.

The Community Award in Mary Knowles is coordinated by the OCNF, with generous support of the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) and recognizes dedicated newspaper employees who are constantly making a difference within their communities. Mary Knowles was a dedicated newspaper employee and active community member who died from breast cancer in 1996.