She was instrumental in the formation of the Danforth East Community Association when it started around her dining room table seven years ago. She has dressed up as broccoli outside the subway at 7:00 a.m. to promote the East Lynn Farmer’s Market. She hauled barricades up and down the hill at East Lynn Park on market Thursdays, with a baby strapped to her back. She stalked every landlord along Danforth Avenue between Coxwell and Woodbine in order to get spaces for the pop-up shop project. But what is so special about Catherine Porter is that her energy is contagious; and so is her hope and optimism about how much better our community can be if we all put our hearts into it. And it looks like we are not the only ones who think so!
Catherine Porter will receive a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in honour of her excellence in community building. Her fellow DECA Board members could not be more proud of her!
Please join us tomorrow afternoon when Beaches-East York MP Matthew Kellway will present Catherine with this national award of distinction: Saturday, February 23 at 3:00 p.m. at 1803 Danforth Avenue. This is the location of one of DECA’s February pop-up shops, and since Catherine was instrumental in sprucing up the space, it is very fitting to gather there to celebrate her.
(PS: Catherine would want us to also mention that space is available for rent, so commercial tenants, please come and check it out!)
CONGRATULATIONS! WELL DONE!
Well deserved! Yay Catherine! Looking forward to celebrating with everyone on Saturday at 3pm.
wow — what an honour — congrats! well deserved. thanks for including the photos with the post — great pics — hiliarious with the broccoli! i thought you were just exaggerating about hauling stuff with a baby on her back until I saw the pic!! :)
Awesome news. Congratulations, Catherine!
So well deserved. Well done Catherine – you are an inspiration!
What an inspiration and so well deserved. I am an extremely thankful resident of our neighbourhood. Thankful to all those special people (most of whom I do not know!) that work with such energy to make Danforth East a better place. Whether it’s the blog & updates, the farmers market, the pop up shops, the pumpkin parade – all those AMAZING events take time, energy and dedication to pull together and our experience living here would not be same same without them. Our local events are such a special part of my families life here that I cannot imagine living anywhere else.
I have always wanted to help out but could never find the time…. but that picture of Catherine hauling baby on back has left me with no excuses – helping out in a small way is better than not helping at all! So this summer I will start do my part to contribute and will be signing up to feed the farmers :)
Thank you to Catherine and everyone else who cares and does for our neighbourhood – you are inspiring!!!!
This is awesome! The whole DECA Board was glad to read this!
I’m so impressed with all the hard work that all the DECA people put into developing this community. It has made it a better place to live. Congratulations Catherine.