Central York Panthers leader Keith Higgins was honoured Family Day with the inaugural Aurora Black Community Honourable Jean Augustine Community Builder Award.
Higgins was cheered by his team members as he accepted the honour at the Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex as he led the Aurora Black Community (ABC) Association’s Diversity on Ice event, held in conjunction with Family Day to encourage more people to lace up their skates.
“The Central York Panthers and Keith in particular and his team have been with us since last year and I know as a community it takes people stepping up to do the work,” said ABC founder and president Phiona Durrant. “We really wanted to honour you because it takes a lot of effort and time to give back.”
Durrant was joined on the ice for the presentation by Ward 1 Councillor Ron Weese in his capacity as President of Sport Aurora. He too paid tribute to Higgins’ work within the community.
“I want to thank the Central York Girls Hockey Association, you girls, your parents, all your coaches,” said Councillor Weese. “It’s very important that you learn how to give back. It’s so exciting to see you out here helping these young people, so I want to thank you for all the work that you do.”
Diversity on Ice, held on Feb. 20, was the penultimate event in the ABC’s full roster of Black History Month programs.
The final event, hosted in conjunction with the Aurora Film Circuit, will take place Monday, Feb. 27, at Cineplex Aurora with a screening of Brother. Set in Scarborough, Brother is an award-winning 2022 Canadian film directed by Clement Virgo, which is based on David Chariandy’s novel of the same name.
For more information and to RSVP to the screening, visit aurorablackcommunity.com.
Brock Weir is a federally funded Local Journalism Initiative reporter at The Auroran
