Kelly Graham Award – Siobhan Lehtovaara
This Award was established in 2021 in memory of Kelly Graham. Kelly worked her entire professional life as a lawyer in Owen Sound, serving many residents and institutions throughout Grey-Bruce. Dedicated to the practise of law, Kelly was also a generous volunteer, sharing her expertise with many charitable organizations such as the Alzheimer Society, where she served most recently as the President of the Board of Directors. Kelly’s community interests also focused on the health and wellness of girls and women, including their career advancement and success. In addition to maintaining a fulltime practice and extensive volunteer commitments, Kelly and her husband Jeff raised four children. Their family enjoyed long trips in the car visiting family and sightseeing the countryside of North America, and above all, fishing in our local area.
In Kelly’s memory, one $1,500 scholarship is awarded annually to a Canadian citizen who resides or goes to school in Grey-Bruce who has shown exceptional drive in the areas of leadership, community volunteerism and supporting individuals living with dementia and/or their caregivers in other health and social services.
We received several outstanding submissions this year and are pleased to congratulate Siobhan Lehtovaara as the recipient of the 2023-2024 Kelly Graham Award.
Siobhan’s late grandmother Zella, who lived with Alzheimer’s disease for many years, is one of the main figures of inspiration in her life, encouraging her to follow her life passions. Siobhan attributes all of her experience with Alzheimer’s disease to her late grandmother. It was through witnessing the experience of Zella’s family support that inspired Siobhan to gain more education and become involved in raising awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Siobhan is currently attending the University of Guelph, and her studies are in the field of Science, with a major in Animal Biology. From a young age, Siobhan has dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, which is where her education and career goals lie. In her Award submission, Siobhan wrote that while in university, “ I looked for opportunities that support causes that directly impact my life and became involved with a group at the University of Guelph that fundraised for the local Alzheimer Society. Coming home for the summer – I felt inspired to continue volunteering and make a difference in my hometown. I value the opportunities to compliment my academics and want to help make a change in my community”. Siobhan became a volunteer for the Alzheimer's Society of Grey-Bruce in the area of Fund Development and Community Engagement this summer. Siobhan is continuing her volunteering endeavours during this school year, pursuing an executive position at the Alzheimer’s Association at the University of Guelph. To quote Siobhan, “My volunteering experience this summer will provide the skills required to fill this role and I look forward to being a part of an organization that helps people living with dementia and their care partners”.
Siobhan embodies many of the qualities and attributes of Kelly Graham, and we are proud to support her education and career endeavours.