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“(The ceremony) was a little over- whelming at times, but it was very good,” he said. Mr. Deveny has been coaching a variety of sports for 18 years, including soccer, basketball, football and hockey, with the Stouffville Clippers. Mr. Deweny, 47, received the Wendel Clark award for pursing victory with honour at Markham Theatre. The awards are given to 16 individ- uals who exemplify respect, courage, responsibility, inclusiveness, honesty, fairness, integrity, optimism, compas- sion, perseverance and initiative. “I noticed there weren’t really any programs for these kids, so I just picked up the phone and got it started,” said the former university football and hockey player. BY ALYSHIA HIGGINS Marty Deveny has a heart of gold. The Stouflville resident was recog- nized at the annual York Region Char- acter of Community Awards ceremony this month for starting and coaching a Special Olympics basketball team. A co-worker at PowerStream nomi- nated him for the award. He recently started the Toronto Sting- ers team in Etobicoke for children with intellectual disabilities. The response has been good, with children from as far as York Region play- ing. “The kids are just so positive and high energy and appreciative of every- Andy Yuen is an ethical kind of guy, and it shows in his work. Mr. Yuen received the Busi- ness leader of Character award at the annual York Region Charac- ter Awards April 3. The event took place atMarkham Theatre. “Wmning this award is like seeâ€" ing the light at the end of the tun- nel,” said Mr. Yuen. “Our company emphasizes ethics and integn‘ty and this proves how hard my staff and I have been working.” Mr. Yuen has owned the Stoufiville Physiotherapy Clinic for three years. The clinic has been open since 1970. Physiotherapy clinic built on ethics, integrity Coach organized team for Special Olympians He admits to being surprised STOUFFVILLE MEN {W0 0F 16 YORK REGION CHARACTER AWARD RECIPIENTS BY ALYSHIA HIGGINS REAL CHARACTER GUYS SUNâ€"TRIBUNE PEOPLE when he found out he had won the award. It’s given to a business that exem- plifies respect, courage, responsin- ity, inclusiveness, honesty, fairness, integn'ty, optimism, compassion, perseverance and initiative. ‘ihe character of the town is the reason (I love working here). The people are so appreciative of the service we provide! “I get so much out of this, I almost feel guilty," he said. “You get more for your time (doing things like this) than you do for any other time during the He also squeezes in time with his wife and children. who he said have been supportive and helped keep him crammed Mr. Deveny sometimes volunteers 18 hours a Week when he’s running training cam ‘fpsMarkhmn minor lacrosse and foo :clubs. thin'g ynufre doing." he said. Despite being recognized, Mr. Deve- ny maintains the children are the real motivation behind his coaching. And as much as he does it for them, he also does it for himself. He is looking for male athletes to start a team closer to York Region. “I Would like about 20 inore kids together, so I can start a couple teams," he said. He encourages other people to get involved wherever they can, even if they think they don’t have the time. “People think about this stuff and they say, ‘I really don't have time’, but the reality is, you can't afford not to be doing it," Mr. Deveny said. “Once you’ve done it, you can't stop doing it. “It’s overwhelxfiing." Boys and girls six to 16 are welcome. No athletic experience is away. Anyone who has a child who Would like to play on the Special Olympics basketball team, or know someone who may be interested, is asked to call Mr. Deveny at 905640-5623. Andeuen Stoufl‘ville Physiotherapy Clinic Mr. Yuen also received the 2007 Whitchurch-Stouffville Chamber of Commerce business award for entrepreneur of the year. “I knew my staff had nominated me, but we’re a small clinic in York Region, which is a big place,” he said. “I didn’t think we would win.” Under Mr. Yuen’s reign, the clinic has expanded to include an outpa- tient clinic, longâ€"term care, home care ‘and teaching. The clinic also services long-term care facilities throughout Toronto and Ottawa. Mr. Yuen said the best part about woyliing Stouffville is the people. “The character of the town is the reason (I love working here),” he said. “The people are so apprecia- tive of the service we provide." Marty Deveny with players on his basketball team. He received the Wendel Clark award for his community work. ANDY YUEN: Stouffville clinic operator was surprised to win York Regionwide business award. Illllll-SIOUOVIIIII StouflidHeSun-Tfibune. Thursday April 17, Have something to say about these or other stories? E-mail us at jmason@ynng.com Chamber golf cancelled, buslness awards on hold Golfers can hold off on prac- tising their golf swing until next year. The annual golf tournament hosted by the Whitchurch- Stouffville Chamber of Com- merce has been cancelled due to a lack of sponsors. “There are 30 other golf tour- naments going on this year, and this is a small town," she said. “There are so many other fundâ€" raisers and things going on, as well.” _Helené Johnson, chamber president and CEO, said she isn’t surprised. The golf tournament isn't the only event affected by lack of sponsors and donations. The 14th annual chamber business awards were postponed for the first time. The awards had been a spring tradition. “People are just very care- ful where they’re putting their money,” Mrs. Johnson said. “(Small businesses) have a lot on their plate. They get so many requests for donations, silent auction items, eVerything.” The awards were also coin- ciding with several other events in the area, including Music Mania. The awards will likely be rescheduled for early fall, she The chamber will accept nominations for the awards until July. “I think there’s a lot of things they (businesses) would like to support, but they just don’t have the money," she said. The chamber is holding a networking breakfast May 8 at the town offices. For updates on the chamber, go to whitchurchstouflville.ca Whitchurch-Sto-uffville News Digest Visit yorkregion.com for more on these and other stories SOUND OFF See store for details Maximum discount 50% off regular pdces “mow MSdosfoml