The Community Champion Achievement Award will be presented to an Abbotsford individual, group, or organization who have achieved National or International recognition in a variety of areas, including, but not limited to: academia, sports, arts and culture; or perform a noteworthy deed which is considered of benefit to the community {i.e. an act of bravery).
Nominations can be made by any individual, group or organization throughout the year, and are considered at a Special (closed) meeting, and a unanimous vote by Council is not required.
Recipients of a Community Champion Achievement Award will be recognized throughout the year during the Presentations section of the Regular Meeting of Council, or at another event which has been organized for this purpose.
2025 Recipients
John LeBlanc
In recognition of his extraordinary bravery, compassion and selflessness during the nine-month search for missing hiker Jordan Naterer in Manning Park, John LeBlanc is receiving the 2025 Community Champion Achievement Award.
John LeBlanc is known for his quiet strength, humility and unwavering compassion. His character was powerfully demonstrated during an especially challenging and emotional search for missing hiker Jordan Naterer in Manning Park, BC.
Born in a small town in rural Ontario and raised by his grandmother, John spent most of his time in the backcountry, where hunting and trapping was a means of survival and became a way of life. Knowing John’s love for adventure and being outdoors, his grandmother baked five apple pies for the owner of a local drilling and blasting company in exchange for an opportunity for John to work there. Those pies led to a long career building highways and back roads throughout central Ontario, work that deepened John’s love for the rugged outdoors and exploration.
In June 1986, John moved to Abbotsford, where he has lived ever since, close to his two adult children and his five grandchildren. An avid hiker and backcountry enthusiast, John has spent much of his life mountaineering, hiking, paragliding, snowmobiling and exploring the outdoors at every opportunity. He is also experienced in shooting sports and is a decorated multi-time Canadian and World Fast Draw Champion in the cowboy-style quick draw.
John has climbed the highest mountains in the western hemisphere and most peaks in between. Through his extensive experience, he has been involved with several recoveries and backcountry rescues over the years. He also served as a guide and lead climber on Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, on a fundraising expedition for prostate cancer research benefiting the Vancouver Prostate Centre and the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation.
In late 2020, John, joined the search alongside Jordan’s father, Greg Naterer, volunteering his time, skill and courage to navigate some of the most treacherous and remote terrain in Manning Park.
Characterized by steep cliffs, deep snow and unstable drainages that even experienced mountaineers avoid, the area tested the limits of endurance and experience. Yet John, known in the mountaineering community for his reluctance to give up, repeatedly ventured into these areas in pursuit of answers for a grieving family.
John’s courage went far beyond the physical challenges of the search. He displayed steady leadership and calm under extreme pressure, saving Greg from several life-threatening situations, including pulling him from a snow sinkhole and guiding him safely down steep cliffs. John’s words “one foot at a time, one day at a time” became a source of comfort and perseverance for Greg, the rest of Jordan’s family, and others involved in the search.
Ultimately, John’s persistence and bravery led to the discovery of Jordan in the most difficult drainage basin of Frosty Mountain, bringing closure to a heartbroken family and community. His actions represent the very essence of selfless service: the willingness to risk one’s safety for the sake of others.
Harry Schmidt
In recognition of his lifetime of service, philanthropy and compassionate leadership. Through his decades of community involvement, ethical, community-minded business practices and international humanitarian efforts, Harry exemplified the very spirit of community service.
Harry Schmidt was a devoted family man, lifelong builder and community leader who dedicated his life to serving others in Abbotsford and around the world.
Born in 1932 in the small town of Wapella, Saskatchewan, Harry grew up on the family farm with his parents and 12 siblings. Life on the farm was simple but filled with hard work and valuable lessons. Naturally humble, Harry learned through experience, sometimes by making mistakes, and held a strong faith and determination to make things work. After graduating eighth grade, Harry set out to build a life of his own, leaving home at 17 to start his journey.
With the strong work ethic instilled on the family farm, Harry took any job he could find to get started in life, including digging ditches, working in steel mills, painting, driving tractor trailers to Alaska and running an auto repair garage with his brother.
In 1969, Harry and his wife, Marlene, moved to Abbotsford with their three young children, welcoming their fourth only a couple of years later. Joining forces with his brother once again, the two began building homes together. In 1972, Harry founded Harwood Industries, and went on to build warehouses, dorm rooms at Trinity Western University, the Abbotsford Bingo Hall and the new Evangelical Free Church, to which his family belonged.
As his reputation grew, Harry became known as a builder and developer who valued quality, fairness and benefit to his community above all else. Through his business he led the construction of numerous affordable housing projects, including 15 seniors’ complexes across Abbotsford, the Lower Mainland, Alberta and Washington State. While Harry achieved great success in business, he never succumbed to the trappings of success; instead, he believed he had an obligation to use his gifts and blessings to help those who needed it most.
A proud founding member of the Kiwanis Club of Clearbrook, Harry dedicated 48 years to the organization, serving as Club President and later as Lieutenant-Governor for the Pacific Northwest Kiwanis Division 18 covering BC and Washington. He embodied the Kiwanis mission to “serve the children of the world” and delighted in giving his time and energy to community events that supported children in need.
Harry’s public service extended beyond volunteering. He served as a Councillor and Deputy Mayor for the District of Matsqui from 1983-1990, where he helped guide the community through years of growth and development. He also served as president of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce and as board chair for both Maplewood House and MSA Manor Societies seniors’ homes.
What others talked about, Harry did. He built, served and acted. Through the creation of the Schmidt Family Foundation, he used his earnings to serve children in impoverished countries and support projects that make a difference around the world. Through the foundation, Harry helped establish children’s shelters and orphanages in Ethiopia, Ukraine, India, Russia, the Philippines, Paraguay and Rwanda, even visiting these projects in person, finding joy in meeting the children whose lives he helped change.
In addition to overseas projects, the Schmidt Family Foundation also supports women’s health and maternity programs, youth music programs, and cancer programs among others.
In recognition of Harry’s lifelong support for Kiwanis International and SIGN Fracture Care International, an orthopedic aid program for developing countries, a new orthopedic surgical centre, which is being funded through his family’s foundation, will be opened in Tanzania in his name.
Harry wrote about his life and philosophy in his memoire, The Incredible Dream, where he said “success is not measure by money or accomplishments. Success is measured by what you have given, what you have contributed and what you have done for other human beings – how you have treated others along the way.”
This is how Harry lived, with humility, generosity, and a steadfast belief in helping others. Making a difference in the life of a child was what mattered most to him, a difference multiplied thousands of times over and carried forward to this day through his foundation.
Harry passed away in September 2024 at the age of 92. To his family, friends and to many in the Abbotsford community, he was known as a giant of a man. His legacy endures in the countless lives he touched with love, faith and purpose.
