This Medal was created by the Government of Alberta to mark the 70th anniversary of Her late Majesty’s Accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada. To celebrate this historic event, the Medal recognizes outstanding service from Albertans who, like The Queen, have dedicated themselves to family, community, and country.
As a trusted partner in the program, we have been honoured with the task of awarding four medals to recognize individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to the social finance and social enterprise ecosystem of Alberta.
Sean Crump
Co-founder & CEO, Included by Design
Sean is the perfect example of someone who leads rather than waits to be led; someone who sees problems as opportunities instead of obstacles. When he noticed that many of the businesses he frequented had accessibility issues, he responded by developing what is now an internationally recognized accessibility certification for commercial and residential buildings.
Over the last few years, Sean has proven himself as not only a business leader but a social one as well through his advocacy and efforts to address the systemic exclusionary challenges faced by the disability community.
In particular, his work with Included by Design–a Calgary-based social enterprise he co-founded and is currently CEO of–has played an integral role in Calgary becoming a more inclusive city. Included by Design, whose clients include the Glenbow Museum, Winsport, and the Canada Lands Company, aims to eliminate barriers for socially isolated persons with disabilities by helping businesses improve the accessibility of their spaces. Sean is also the creator of Krooshl, an online map tool that lists businesses that have been vetted and certified as accessible by Included by Design.
Philip Lozano
Manager of Be Local, Momentum Calgary
Phil is a passionate and dedicated champion of local businesses that have a positive community impact in Calgary. For 10 years, he has led Momentum's efforts to activate social enterprises that contribute to making the local economy in Calgary work better for everyone. He has worked for many years with community organizations like Vivo to advance neighbourhood-based approaches to enterprise. For example, Phil was highly involved in the community development process for Vivo to launch the Night Market North, which became the largest community event in northern Calgary prior to COVID. As the CEO of Vivo described Phil - “he's a community development ninja.” The Night Market North provided an opportunity for many small businesses owned and operated in North Calgary to market their products and services and for residents to support neighbourhood-based businesses.
Phil is the lead staff for the Be Local Network, which is Calgary's only network focused on locally-owned businesses focused on social impact (i.e., social enterprises). The network invites business owners to connect around the idea that “being and doing good is good for business". Be Local members collectively employ over 4,500 Calgarians and 79% of businesses have reported achieving a specific social impact goal, such as paying a living wage. By learning from and supporting each other as businesses, Be Local members have developed as a local ecosystem of social enterprise leaders. In 2022, Phil organized and hosted the return of the first in-person Social Venture Institute (SVI) Banff, which was the first in-person event since COVID. SVI is the signature ecosystem building event hosted by Be Local in which social enterprise leaders from across Alberta, such as Newo, Ellie Bianca, and Ethnicity Catering, gather to learn from each and build their network. The SVI Banff event in the summer of 2022 was sold out and had strong evaluation feedback. One social enterprise that participated, Hope Cleaning, referenced how 'SVI was massive for us as we launched in Edmonton 6 months before we thought we would because of connections made at the event'.
For a decade now, Phil has been instrumental in building a local ecosystem in Calgary of businesses committed to a positive community impact and is now contributing to province-wide ecosystem building efforts.
Jodi Phelan
General Manager, Boyle Street Ventures Inc.
Jodi is the General Manager of Boyle Street Ventures Inc., a social enterprise that employs individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty in Edmonton. She is also the Operations Manager for Hire Good, a partner of Boyle Street Ventures that works to support those who may not yet have the tools or skills needed to access the formal job market by pairing them with a mentor and connecting them to employers.
Compassionate, patient, and not afraid to tackle challenges head-on, Jodi is someone who is not just committed to serving her community but also, to empowering its members. Through her work, she has helped a multitude of people of various ages and backgrounds find meaningful work and purposeful employment which, in turn, has helped many of them break out of the cycle of poverty. Her work has also helped vulnerable youths in the city avoid homelessness by providing them with the opportunity to gain professional experience and skills so that they can succeed in the future.
Boyle Street Ventures has grown immensely over the last couple of years and at the heart of many of its success stories, is Jodi.
Murray Soroka
Founder & CEO of Jasper Place Wellness Centre
An innovative and “people-first” type of entrepreneur, Murray has been working in the areas of community welfare and development for more than a decade and throughout this time, he has founded several successful social enterprises.
In 2006, he brought together like-minded organizations and individuals to work towards the shared goal of revitalizing the Jasper Place community. His efforts led to the establishment of the Jasper Place Wellness Centre, a social purpose business that provides underserved and marginalized members of the community essential services and connects them to other resources and supports.
In 2008, the Centre piloted its Housing First program, and in 2010, it expanded operations with the development of Canora Place, an apartment complex that provided housing for previously homeless individuals. In fall of 2017, the Centre opened a full-time medical clinic where community members, many of whom did not have a family doctor, could access care.
Murray is also the founder of Redemptive Developments, a set of social enterprises that provides junk removal, moving, and mattress recycling services while providing employment for individuals who may not have had access to such opportunities before.
Photo Gallery: Edmonton Ceremony
Photo Gallery: Calgary Ceremony
