Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal

The Mississauga Arts Council (MAC) celebrated the holiday season with over 100 members of the local community at the annual Cranberry Breakfast held on Friday, December 7, 2012 at the Living Arts Centre (4141 Living Arts Centre Dr). Hosted by MAC Board Director, Lynne Mack and Singer/Songwriter, Laura Fernandez, attendees enjoyed a delicious breakfast and took home a diverse range of gifts won from the raffle.

A key highlight of the event was when Mississauga City Councilor for Ward 5, Bonnie Crombie presented the MAC President, Bohdan Shulakewych (in the above photo posing with his wife, Sonia) with the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Please click here to view the award presentation.

A new commemorative medal was created to mark the 2012 celebrations of the 60^th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada. The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal is a tangible way for Canada to honour Her Majesty for her service to this country. At the same time, it serves to honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities nominated Bohdan and Bonnie made the presentation on behalf of the Federation. "Bohdan has been a leader in our community and has been a tireless champion of the arts and cultural infrastructure in Mississauga. On behalf of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Governor General and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, I am very pleased to award to him the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. I want to thank Bohdan for his dedication to te arts, his peers and his community, and to Canada. He has contributed greatly to making our City more vibrant and to making Mississauga a destination for the arts. His efforts have been nothing short of remarkable and becuase of this, I believe he is more than worthy of this prestigious honour, as well as our praise and admiration," exclaimed Bonnie Crombie.

Bonnie went on to say that “Bohdan epitomizes the Renaissance man. He’s definitely someone who efficiently uses his right and left side of the brain. He’s a lawyer and studied at the London School of Economics. He speaks three languages fluently including English, French and Ukrainian. He’s a writer of law books but he’s also a writer of poetry. He’s also a concert pianist and a composer. And for those of you who didn’t know, he’s an award-winning sculptor. And on the other hand, he’s been a journalist, a newspaper editor, a French TV host, and has also been involved in the community. He’s been on the Board of Directors of the Demetrius Care Centre, taking care of our seniors. He’s been a Vice President of the Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Centre. He’s been a Vice President and Director of the Ukrainian Social Services and a Trustee of the Canadian Catholic Education Foundation. Bohdan is a patron and a lover of the arts. He’s a volunteer extraordinaire; he’s been on many boards and commissions.”

Bohdan was very honoured and humbled by his award and went on to thank everyone for being at the breakfast and sharing in his achievement. “I want to also thank all of the volunteers that are here today. This is a beautiful city,” he said passionately. 

For photos, videos or any more information on this event, please contact Communications Coordinator, Luiza Sadowski at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 905-615-4212. More information can also be found online at www.mississaugaartscouncil.com. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MissArtsCouncil and Twitter @MissArtsCouncil.

With the holidays approaching and family and friends toasting, the Mississauga Arts Council invites you to celebrate the season at its annual Cranberry Breakfast, Balancing your Art, Balancing your Life on Friday, December 7, 2012 from 7:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the Living Arts Centre (4141 Living Arts Drive).

The Cranberry Breakfast is an invigorating morning of networking, inspiration, a delicious holiday breakfast, raffle prizes and entertainment. The morning will be hosted by Singer/Songwriter and Jazz FM Radio personality, Laura Fernandez, who will be sharing her secrets to balancing her busy career as a sought-after musician, media personality, realtor and mother. “My life has always been a balance of art and function. I dream, I work hard and I do my best to make things work and to fulfill my responsibilities without compromising my responsibility to myself and to my art. I also have great faith and a lot of help and encouragement!” expresses Laura Fernandez.

If you feel overwhelmed and fragmented as a busy artist, come to this interactive event and learn tips on balancing the modern day demands of being an artist. Come and enjoy a keynote discussion by Laura followed by a spicy performance of her original Latin Jazz compositions. To listen to some of her music, please go to www.laurafernandezmusic.com.

This is definitely one event you won’t want to miss! Some of the topics that will be covered by Laura include: How to balance a “day job” with your arts career; Finding time to work at your craft; Balancing family life with your career; Valuing “downtime”; The importance of identifying goals; How to become a ‘thriving artist’ instead of ‘starving artist’; How to avoid over-commitment and spreading yourself too thin. Following Laura’s discussion and performance, we will open the floor to you, giving everyone in attendance the opportunity to announce any upcoming events they would like to promote and share their triumphs from the past year.

The Cranberry Breakfast will be held at the Living Arts Centre, located at 4141 Living Arts Drive. Tickets are now available to purchase for $25 for MAC members and $30 for non-members. They can be purchased by calling the office at 905-615-4278 or emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Be sure to also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MissArtsCouncil and Twitter @MissArtsCouncil.

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