TORONTO - The International Development and Relief Foundation recently announced the appointment of IDRF vice-chair, Mr. Winston Shyam Liaquat Kassim as a Member of the Order of Canada, our country’s highest civilian honour for lifetime achievement.

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, announced today the new appointments to the Order of Canada and the Appointees will be invited to accept their insignia at a ceremony to be held at a later date.

The appointment cites Winston Kassim "for his contributions as a community volunteer who played a key role in establishing several community and religious centres that provide outreach services to refugees and immigrants."

Winston Kassim has made significant contributions over thirty years as a dedicated volunteer who has demonstrated exceptional leadership with many regional, national and international charitable and humanitarian organizations.

"In this moment of Mr Kassim's recognition," says Dr. Cassim Degani, Chair of IDRF, "We at IDRF are especially proud as he has devoted a considerable amount of time to the sustainability and growth of the IDRF over the past five years."

Mr. Kassim is the first Guyanese born Canadian to receive the Order of Canada. He was born in Georgetown, Guyana where he completed his primary and secondary education and then began his professional career at Barclays Bank while still a teenager. In 1975, Mr. Kassim along with his wife, Ms. Kameni Cheddie moved to Canada to provide themselves with more opportunities and settled in Toronto, Ontario. Shortly afterwards, he re-started his career in banking at RBC (Royal Bank of Canada).

Early in his career, Mr Kassim became drawn to volunteerism and he credits his mother for instilling in him his passion for community service. He volunteered for organizations such as the Junior Achievement of Ontario and United Way. He was instrumental in the fundraising and establishment of two prominent Greater Toronto Area mosques in 1981, The Sunatul Jamaat of Ontario Canada and the Malton Islamic Association, and continues to be involved in advisory capacities to their community programs.

By the late 1980s and early 1990’s he had assisted in establishing four more community centres for other faith based groups which offer venues for social events, education and skill building, all paramount to community building. His impact and influence have created a lasting legacy for these various communities and Canada as a whole.

A well respected banker with a social conscience, Winston Kassim, in complementing this community building effort, also saw the importance of people developing their life skills, so he leveraged his expertise and knowledge in banking to develop and deliver financial seminars to various groups in the GTA.

During the 1980s he broadened his volunteerism to a more global stage. Along with so many others, Mr. Kassim worked with various groups/ individuals to support the release of Nelson Mandela. Canada, as head of the Commonwealth led the call for sanctions against the South African apartheid, culminating in the release of Nelson Mandela. Canada’s efforts towards the release of Nelson Mandela propelled it to gain world prominence for its moral position. As well, Mr. Kassim continued his lobbying and advocacy by working on the committee for the sponsorship of Nelson Mandela as an Honourary Canadian Citizen. Mr. Kassim was a unique player in the Nelson Mandela campaign as he represented a very small minority of Non South Africans from corporate Canada to champion this cause. In continuing his humanitarianism on a global level, Mr. Kassim has greatly contributed to Canada’s recognition as one of the top philanthropic countries in the world. Among those new comers to Canada who give back to their respective communities, Mr. Kassim embodies Canadian culture by striving for equality and inclusiveness of all people.

Mr. Kassim currently lends much of his time, expertise and passion to IDRF where our humanitarian work benefits people in our world community who are the victims of crisis and disasters, or who are struggling against deprivations caused by severe poverty. Mr. Kassim has been associated with IDRF for over 10 years with his active participation spanning the last five years, and Board membership for the last three years with him currently serving as our volunteer Vice-Chair. In this role, Mr. Kassim assists in leading IDRF with our work that is dedicated to empowering the disadvantaged people of the world.