The Delta Chamber of Commerce is recognizing local citizens who have made outstanding contributions to the community at its annual Hats Off Gala Nov. 13. The South Delta Leader is introducing you to the finalists in the weeks leading up to the event. The sixth and final installment features the Citizen of the Year nominees.

One of Andy Block’s friends described the longtime Delta resident as a person who “brings people who have together with people who need.”

Andy Block has coached or managed hockey, baseball, basketball and soccer teams. He is a member of the North Delta Rotary Club as well as former director and treasurer of the Boys and Girls Club Community Services of Delta/Richmond. 

He is a member of the organizing committee for the Delta Rotary Youth Awards and was directly involved with Operation Remembrance, which placed headstones on unmarked graves of thirty-five World War One veterans. 

He is a life-time member of both Progressive Intercultural Community Services and SUCCESS (Chinese Immigrant Society).

Jim Cessford takes his role as Chief Constable of Delta Police beyond the department.

Jim serves on the organizing committee of the International Conference for Police and Law Enforcement Executives and has served in a variety of capacities for the BC Association of Chiefs of Police, Canadian Police Research Centre, Organized Crime Agency of BC, and sub-committee work on Crime Prevention, Drugs, Sea Land Air and Port Policing and its strategic planning.

He coaches baseball and rep hockey in North Delta and is a volunteer reader and scribe for high school students with learning disabilities.

Lynn Turner is a consummate volunteer, active in a number of Delta-wide organizations. Lynn served 15 years on the board of the Delta Arts Council, including as a past president.

She is a keen advocate for the Canadian Mental Health Association—Delta branch, currently is executive director and sits on several community healthcare committees including the Delta Community Committee for Mental Health. 

Her time in community service volunteer positions amounts to more than 2,500 hours a year.