Community. It’s become the buzzword of the 21st century, hasn’t it? I find that these days, people use it haphazardly. It’s thrown into PowerPoint decks to give a “cutting edge” impression, and tossed about in Twitter streams because all the cool kids are doing it. It’s become the theme of many a social media conference, and all the so-called experts are now experts at “community” too.

Unfortunately, anytime a word becomes a buzzword, its true meaning becomes diluted. Which is why events like the one I attended last night are so important.

I was privileged to be invited to attend the United Way Community Builder of the Year Awards Gala along with a gaggle of other local bloggers, including Andrea Tomkins, Bob LeDrew, and Marc Gagnon. Andrea and I were quite a sight at the MBNA table (thanks for being so accepting, folks!), juggling our iPhones, cameras, and notepads. Bob had a multitude of recording devices strung over his shoulder as well. We were on a mission to make media in any way, shape or form we could. You can follow our Tweetstream by searching on the hashtag #cba.

But the evening was about so much more than live tweeting and videoblogging. It was a celebration of some of Ottawa’s most upstanding citizens. It was truly about celebrating the spirit of community. Not the buzzwordy, false sense of “community” that is so easily misinterpreted in the online world – but real people, who not only genuinely care so much about making the world a better place, but are actually doing something about it.

Here are just a few of the highlights of the evening:

The Community Builder of the Year award was presented to Ottawa’s Police Chief, Vern White. Here is a man who, on a daily basis, is effecting positive change on our city. Chief White is not just sitting behind a desk. He’s out there, working hard to get drugs and kids off the streets. He’s deeply involved with the citizens of this great city, every single day. He’s making important and sometimes difficult decisions, and working with our city leaders to implement those decisions in a timely fashion. “I’m overwhelmed and honoured to be standing here,” he said. “Every day I pinch myself that I get to do this for a living. I’d do it for free.” And who wouldn’t? He’s changing the world, one street corner at a time.

What can I say about Max Keeping that hasn’t already been said? For those of you not from Ottawa, Max is an institution in our city. He was the anchor of the 6pm news on CTV Ottawa for 38 years. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and has countless other honours. He is a cancer survivor. He has done more for this city in 40 years than 100 people do in their entire lifetimes. He has passion and caring for people beyond belief. Max was the recipient of the Community Builder of the Year award in 2004. Earlier this year, when a devastating fire wiped out the CTV Ottawa newsroom, that award, along with most of Max’s other memories from his 38 years at the station, was lost. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place last night, when Max was surprised with the presentation of a replacement of his 2004 Community Builder Award. But what touched me even more was his response. “These awards are not about us,” he said. “We represent everyone that does so much to create this community that we cherish.” Cheers, Max. May you have another 40 years of helping to make our community great.

As the evening went on, we heard stories of amazing workplace campaigns, as government departments like Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and Health Canada were honoured. We learned what great companies like PCL Constructors are doing to raise money and awareness. We listened as 19 year old Nathalie Gervais talked about how she turned her life around – from being a drug addict and prostitute at the age of 13 to now inspiring young people across the country to embrace their unlimited potential. “The secret to recovery for me,” Nathalie said, “was finding a passion and just going for it!”.

At the end of the evening, United Way President Michael Allen revealed new Pillars of Engagement for the organization, along with a new look and poster campaign. “Give | Speak up | Take Action” position United Way in a new light. Their goal is to no longer be perceived as just a money-maker, but as an organization who is taking action to make our community, and ultimately the world, a better place. (Incidentally, no donor dollars are used to put on the Community Builder Awards Gala. The event is 100% funded by corporate sponsorship).

Those Pillars are just words though, until there is action put behind them. Fortunately, I saw first hand last evening that there are people in this city who are already putting these words to work. They are the pillars of our community. They bring the true meaning back to the word. And their efforts make me proud to be a part of this great city, and compel me to want to do more.

It’s time to take back the word “community”. To give it the meaning that’s intended. To show “community” the respect it deserves.

You with me?

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This morning I logged on to Twitter and saw that I had been tagged by the lovely Barb Chamberlain of BiketoWorkBarb to produce a list of five things people might not know about me. The original idea came from my newest and coolest Twitter friend Dominick Evans, who sees the real value in doing an exercise like this. The concept is, tell 5 things about yourself, then tag (meaning link) to 5 other people so they can do the same. Not only do you learn some new things about folks, but you are also helping others to make new connections through the links you post. It’s a cool idea, don’t you think? So, here’s my list! Stick around till the end of the post, the most interesting stuff is there – the links to the 5 people I’m tagging (who you should all check out because THEY ROCK).

5 Fun Facts About Suzemuse

1. I’m a military brat. My Dad was in the Canadian Armed Forces for 36 years. Because of the kind of job he had, we ended up in some pretty unique and far away places, including Inuvik, NWT, and Masset on the Queen Charlotte Islands in B.C. It was fun growing up in these isolated, small communities. I didn’t get to do a lot of things other kids did, like go to McDonalds, hang out at shopping malls, and watch TV – because we didn’t have those things. As a result, I became very resourceful, finding ways to fill my days with music, art, and books. To this day I’d rather read a book or play music than sit in front of the TV. (Ironic that I’ve spent much of my career actually making TV!)

2. I couldn’t cook until about 7 years ago. I’m a total foodie, and I have the waistline to prove it. When I was growing up, my mom tried and tried to get me interested in cooking. But I’d have nothing of it. As a result, when I moved out on my own, I could barely boil an egg. I managed on frozen dinners and canned soup for several years, and I could make spaghetti so if I had a boy over at least I didn’t look completely silly. Then I met my husband. This man can cook! I was being treated to eggs florentine, hand made ravioli, and other fancy delights on a regular basis. I think it was pretty much through osmosis, but he helped me to become more confident in the kitchen. And, he is happy to play guinea pig to my culinary wizardry (we have been forced to order pizza on more than one occasion).

3. I have a tattoo. Yup, got it a few years ago. It’s on my lower back – a funky sun-bursty kind of thing. Thinking about getting another one too (sorry Mom!). I think it runs in the family – my Dad, my brother and my husband all have tattoos. Only one that doesn’t have one is my Mom. But we’re working on her.

4. I met the Barenaked Ladies before they got famous. I used to produce a local music show at the community access station. It is the best job in the world to have when you are 25. I got paid to run around town, interview bands, go to free concerts and hang out backstage. We did a lot of stuff with local bands which was great. Every now and again I’d get to interview someone famous (Davy Jones, The Sweet, Los Lobos, to name a few) which was always so fun. But the ones that were the most memorable to me, were the people I got to meet who were yet to be famous. My reporter called me to go down to this tiny club in downtown Ottawa to do an interview. They had a weird name – Barenaked Ladies. So off I went, camera gear in tow. The guys we were to interview were named Steve and Ed. They looked about 15 years old. During the interview they told us that they were so happy to finally be breaking out of Toronto and hoped that they’d be able to come back to Ottawa some day. Then they got on stage and started playing “Be My Yoko Ono”, and it just about blew my mind. The next time they came back to Ottawa, they were playing a sold out stadium.

5. I almost flunked English. When I was in high school, I had two subjects that I was just awful at – Math and English. My grammar was so bad that I had to take special tutoring after school until I stopped dangling my participles. My English teacher told me that I would never be a good writer and that I might as well stick to music. Anyone who knows me knows the best way to get me to do something is to tell me I can’t do it. So I set about learning to write, almost from scratch. As a result, I ended up having a career as a writer – I write TV shows and web sites, do technical writing, proposal writing and write this blog. My grammar is still far from perfect, but I so love to write. As for my math skills – they are now and will always be horrific.

Now for the fun part!!!

I’m tasking these 5 special people to submit their lists. You need to check them all out, because they are superstars.

Ryan Anderson – The New PR. Ryan has great perspective on the world of new media and PR and there’s always something new popping up on his blog. And he’s fun at parties, too!

Bob LeDrew – Bob is also fun at parties. What’s cool is he makes his own, and invites musicians. Bob and his wife run Bobcat House Concerts, and I can’t tell you how awesome these concerts are. If you don’t live in Ottawa, you’ll have to find someone in your town that does this, and GO!

Maggie McGary aka mizz information - I’m totally hooked on Maggie’s blog. She brings passion and humour to the world of social media and I just plain like her.

Robert Hruzek, Middle Zone Musings – Robert says on his blog that he doesn’t usually do the meme thing. But this is an opportunity to tell some stories, something Robert does exceptionally well. I hope he makes an exception this time!

Karen Putz, A Deaf Mom Shares Her World – Karen and I have been Twitter pals for some time, and I love to read her blog – it’s so insightful! Karen does so much to promote awareness around the deaf community and I’m so glad she shares her story through this blog.

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