Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Literacy

Call for Nominations 2013 - Nomination
Deadline: March 20, 2013

The Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Literacy recognizes exceptional achievement in literacy through two award categories:

• Leaders in Literacy Education
• Partnership for Literacy

In 1990 the late Honourable George Johnson, M.D., former Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba established the Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Literacy to recognize exceptional achievement of an individual, group or project that has made a significant contribution to the field of literacy in Manitoba. The Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Literacy – Leaders in Literacy Education pays tribute to literacy practitioners, volunteers, instructors, teachers, researchers, project and programs that exhibit the highest standard of excellence, dedication, leadership, creativity, and accomplishment in the field of literacy.

In 2007 The Honourable John Harvard established a second award category, Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Literacy - Partnership for Literacy, to recognize innovation and significant impact on literacy through partnerships. Literacy impacts on, and is the responsibility of all Manitobans. This award category pays tribute to individuals, businesses, organizations, and groups who have championed literacy in a significant way through partnerships, but whose main focus or work is not literacy.

Call for Nominations 2013 – Nomination Deadline:  March 20, 2013 (français)

• Eligibility for the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Literacy
• Conditions of the Medal
• Submitting a Nomination
• Nomination Form

2011 Lieutenant Governor’s Medal Recipient

• Leader in Literacy Education – Mr. L. Dale Guy, Winnipeg
• Partnership for Literacy -– The Winnipeg Humane Society and St. John’s Ambulance ‘See Spot Read’ Program
• 2011 Nominees

Previous Medal Recipients

Leader in Literacy Education – Mr. L. Dale Guy, Winnipeg

The Honourable Philip S. Lee Governor with Mr. L. Dale Guy

Dale Guy has worked as an educator in Manitoba for fifty years – as a classroom teacher and as a reading consultant, first at the divisional level and then provincially. He began his career teaching children, then moved to educating adults who in turn teach children.  Through his influence, the acquisition of literacy skills has increased exponentially for both children and teachers.  Mr. Guy has mentored many Reading Clinicians, always showing respect for their individual differences and interests, while maintaining and ensuring the highest standards of professionalism.  He has been an advocate for ensuring all students acquire a high level of literacy skills.  He has also authored a book of Canadian biographies, entitled Discover Canadians, designed for high-interest-low vocabulary reading.

Dale Guy is a master at building capacity for leadership in all educators, always encouraging while at the same time offering helpful advice.  His dedication to education and literacy is exemplified in the many roles he has played in the Manitoba education system. In addition he has contributed many years of service to the International Reading Association at the local, provincial and international levels. He was a founding member of the Manitoba Reading Association, Manitoba Council of Reading Clinicians, and Winnipeg Children’s Literature Roundtable, and has held executive positions on the board of reading councils and numerous committees.

The following quote from a nomination letter summarizes Mr. Guy’s contribution:

Leadership in education is the ability to interact with ease with innovators in the field; to be able to share the important ideas with others; and to be able to take the expertise to the classroom; and to make a difference.  These four attributes have been the life-work of Mr. Guy.

Partnership for Literacy -– The Winnipeg Humane Society and St. John’s Ambulance ‘See Spot Read’ Program

The Honourable Philip S. Lee Lieutenant Governor with partners of the “See Spot Read” program. Mr. Bill McDonald, Winnipeg Humane Society (right) and Honorary Colonel Robert Vandewater, St. John’s Ambulance (left).

The Winnipeg Humane Society has operated the ‘See Spot Read’ Program for three years in partnership with St. John’s Ambulance.  This innovative program pairs children with literacy challenges and trained therapy dogs in order to practice reading skills.  The program, modeled after the American Reading Education Assistance Dogs program or R.E.A.D. program, provides a non-judgmental atmosphere and unconditional listening support of a dog as the children work on their reading skills.  The program operates on the idea of taking the focus off the reading and letting the children focus on working to help socialize the dogs as they read to the dogs. In this way, the children practice reading using their decoding skills, applying previous knowledge to comprehend, and reading aloud. Stress and anxiety around reading is reduced and encouragement and acceptance builds their self-esteem.

This initiative connects the Winnipeg Humane Society education team with volunteer therapy dog owners at St. John’s Ambulance to promote literacy to young people. Each year 48 children in Winnipeg have benefitted from the ‘See Spot Read’ program.  The results show measurable gains in skills and reading level, evidence that this partnership for literacy has made an impact on literacy.

The representatives for the partners are:  Mr. Bill McDonald, Winnipeg Humane Society and Honorary Colonel Robert Vandewater, St. John’s Ambulance.

2011 Nominees

Top Left to Right: Ms. Pamela Frank, Honorary Colonet Robert Vandewater, Mr. L. Dale Guy, Mr. Bill McDonald, Ms. Jackie Borgfjord
Bottom Left to Right: Deputy Minister Heather Reichert, Her Honour Anita K. Lee, The Honourable Philip S. Lee, Minister Erin Selby
Missing: Ms. Teresa Hampton

This page was last updated February 19, 2013