The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Halton police Const. Jody Dugas honoured for going `above and beyond' Const. Jody Dugas is being honoured for going above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to youth. The Halton police officer recently received the Bud Knight Award, handed out by the Committee of Youth Officers (COYO) for the Province of Ontario. The award, which was created in 1990 in recognition of the career of Ontario Police College instructor Herbert R. (Bud) Knight, is presented to an Ontario police officer who has gone above and beyond, showing interest, commitment and dedication to youth in the community. Dugas, a 20-year veteran of the Halton police, was recognized for her work mentoring and engaging Halton youth to help them become stronger citizens. After joining Halton police in 1994, Dugas worked as a high school liaison officer and diversity officer before joining the Regional Community Mobilization Bureau (CMB) in 2014. Her work has included overseeing the PEACE (Police Ethnic and Cultural Education) Youth Leadership program, which promotes understanding and cultural awareness among Halton-area high school students while allowing them to experience all aspects of policing. When students who graduated from this program sought volunteer opportunities within the police service, Dugas created the Teen Random Acts of Kindness (TRACK) Team. This group engages in random acts of kindness throughout the community ranging from things like cleaning garbage from green space adjacent to a local mosque to preparing, cooking and serving food to residents at an assisted living facility. After a successful pilot project in 2014, the TRACK Team became a permanent program sanctioned by Halton police. Police said Dugas has also been instrumental in the Halton police Toys for Tots Campaign, which she has led since 2011. During that time, under her leadership, the campaign has raised and distributed more than $1.6 million worth of toys, cash, gift From left, Jamal Eiriksson, father of Jamshid who died on Jan. 22; Halton police Sgt. Dave Tutte; Const. Jody cards and food, which is more than double the Dugas, who received a Bud Knight Award and $1,000, which she donated to McMaster Children's Hospital; Staff amount raised in the previous 11 years comSgt. Susan Biggs; and Parker Neale, Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation. | photo courtesy Halton police bined. More than 4,000 families in Halton Region directly benefitted from the past year's campaign. As a recipient of the Bud Knight Award, Dugas received $1,000 to donate to her charity of choice. Dugas donated her award funds to McMaster Children's Hospital in memory of Jamshid Eiriksson. Jamshid, 6, died Jan. 22, after nearly four years of treatment for the childhood cancer neuroblastoma. He helped launch a blood donation campaign, which called on people to show some of the bravery children fighting cancer must have and donate blood. The COYO for the Province of Ontario is comprised of youth serving police officers from Ontario Police Services as well as representatives from the probation, private sector, youth organizations, instructional/training facilities and various school boards. This group seeks to educate those involved in serving at risk youth and explores youth related issues in an inclusive manner so that youth crime trends, potential legislative changes, and service delivery options are considered. 7 | Thursday, March 17, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Our For more news, visit insidehalton.com/oakville-on `Like' the Oakville Beaver on Facebook. difference designers makethe 490 SPEERS ROAD, OAKVILLE KDESIGNCABINETRY.COM 905.339.2223 ALL YOU CAN EAT Lunch or Dinner 10% off Dinner* Dine in & cAsh onlY *With this AD Dine in for All You cAn eAt 280 North Service Road W. @ Dorval, Oakville 905.338.6228 7 DAYS A WEEk www.august8.ca