Cameron Lozinski, a former Canora resident, has received recognition for his wide-ranging volunteer work by being included in the Ace Burpee’s Top 100 Most Fascinating Manitobans of 2017.
Lozinski, a first-year student at the University of Winnipeg, said the announcement was made on December 18.
He spent several years living in Canora when he was attending elementary school. After overcoming some significant health issues a number of years ago, he has devoted much of his spare time to volunteering in support of a variety of worthy causes.
“I enjoy helping people who are less fortunate. It really gives me a sense of pride to be able to give back to the community,” said Lozinski.
Over the recent New Year’s holiday long weekend, he gave up part of his holiday from university classes to volunteer for Operation Red Nose in his hometown of Gimli, where he drove people home who had been drinking.
Lozinski said his previous volunteer projects including knitting 56 toques for the homeless when he was in Grade 8. He raised his own funds and took part in international Habitat for Humanity build trips to El Salvador in 2014, Indonesia in 2016 and Portugal in 2015 and again in 2017. Later this year he is planning to take part in a Habitat build in Halifax, N.S.
As part of his Metis heritage, Lozinski has a passion for Indigenous issues, history and culture. After studying the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report, he planned his high school’s Red Dress Project, in conjunction with the national campaign to raise awareness and honour missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada. Lozinski is learning the Cree language, and taught several lessons of basic Cree to a group of middle school students last spring.
In Grade 9 he was the only male student on the International Day of the Girl Committee.
The “hard-working teenager” is pursuing Indigenous studies at the University of Winnipeg, with an eye toward a possible future career in politics.
He continues to find time to get involved in new volunteer projects. On January 17, Lozinski will begin training with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB).
