A Mount Forest native has been awarded a King Charles III Coronation Medal.
Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae recently awarded Wellington North resident Kay Ayres on the afternoon of March 26 with the honour. The presentation took place at the Mount Forest Community Centre surrounded by Kay’s family and friends.
To be eligible for the King Charles III Coronation Medal one must have made significant contributions to the country, Ontario, region or community, or an achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada.
Ayres has made numerous contributions to her area. Those include organizing weekly games and social functions for the local Seniors Group in Mount Forest and area, as well as hosting informational sessions for local seniors on topics of interest like fraud prevention, trips abroad, and end of life information.
Additionally, Ayres is very involved in an organization called 100 Women Who Care, which donates over $10,000 to local charities every quarter. She is also the co-founder and active member of the Women's Needs Program, which helps provide feminine hygiene products for free to individuals throughout Wellington North.
"Kay is a compassionate and involved member of our community," MPP Rae said. "She has demonstrated the utmost care for her fellow community members, be it through organizing fundraisers for local charities, holding informational sessions on important topics such as fraud prevention, or arranging weekly games that bring the community together. It is an honour to recognize her contributions to Ontario and Canada with a King Charles III Coronation Medal."
"Receiving the King Charles III Coronation Medal is such an honour," Ayres shared humbly. "As I get older and realize I have more life behind me than I have in front of me things like this take on a whole new meaning. To be kind to my fellow man, to do something for others. All the years I was working hard trying to make a living, I could not do these things. I love being able to give my time and what energy I still have left. I still think of King Charles as Prince Charles. He and I are about the same age. I have followed the Royal family all my life. I will be honoured to receive and have this medal that I will have with me for the rest of my days."