‘Genuine, humble community servant’ is a true social entrepreneur
Kristian Partington

An old-fashioned barn-raising is a nostalgic symbol of the strength of true community, a symbol that was recently conferred upon Schlegel Villages’ founder Ron Schlegel as the 2011 recipient of Waterloo Region’s Barnraiser Award.

The idea of the award was inspired by Gov. Gen. David Johnston in 2006.

As then-president of the University of Waterloo (UW) Johnston called upon the region to strive to be nothing short of the knowledge capital of Canada, and he suggested recognizing great local leaders in innovation and community-building as part of the unification of community strength.

In support of the 2011 award nomination, Ron was praised by all facets of the community, from current UW president Feridun Hamdullahpur, who wrote, “Our community has benefited enormously from his generous giving — not only through his financial resources, also his time, energy and wisdom,” to the leaders of local sports teams.

The idea that Ron is a social entrepreneur who considers money to be not the goal of his efforts but a tool to use to achieve a greater social good was cited by Waterloo Record editor Lynn Haddrall as a major factor in the decision to honour him with the award.

The Record co-sponsors the Barnraiser Award with UW. Click here to view full page spread in the Record.

Schlegel Villages’ chief operating officer Bob Kallonen recalls Johnston’s call to action six years ago; a 10-point plan to make the region a knowledge trendsetter into the future.

“We have to do a better job of celebrating our successes,” Bob says, echoing what Johnston had marked as the tenth point on his plan.

That Ron was recognized for his numerous contributions to the social fabric of the region is a great source of pride for the team at Schlegel Villages, Bob says.

Described by his peers and the judges of the Barnraiser Awards as “an imaginative collaborator,” “deep thinker,” and “genuine, humble community servant,” Ron accepted the award at a luncheon on Jan. 19.

If you have questions or comments, please contact 800-294-0051, ext. 24, or e-mail kristian(at)axiomnews.ca.