Southcentre Mall

Shairoze Damji immigrated to Canada from Tanzania as a child. Growing up in Calgary, she was a beneficiary of a nurturing Ismaili Muslim community and caring neighbours. Empathetic and civic-minded role models influenced her development. Drawing from the immigration experience of her parents, Shairoze has been an active volunteer in non-profit organizations working with immigrants and refugees, including as past Board Chair of CIWA and the Settlement Portfolio with the Ismaili Muslim community working with Afghan refugees.

Shairoze’s commitment to bettering the lives of women, children, and immigrants through her volunteerism in nonprofit, educational, and professional organizations knows no bounds. She is dedicated to improving lives by helping individuals find their voice, empowering them to navigate systems, and advocating for systemic change through her involvement on countless boards, committees, and associations. Shairoze is committed to helping individuals with dispute resolution, conciliation, and arbitration, eradicating barriers, and promoting sustainable change. In January 2023, after many years of humble service and quiet leadership, Shairoze received the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (Alberta) for her exemplary philanthropic leadership and community service.

Alice Lam is a born and raised second-generation Calgarian whose parents moved to Canada as Vietnamese refugees in 1985. From a young age, Alice learned about the importance of community service, philanthropy, and building a city where people feel a sense of belonging. To this day, she spends most of her free time volunteering for various causes close to her heart, including her involvement in several non-profit organizations such as CIWA, that are making our city a better place.

Having spent the past eight years building strong teams, Alice created a reputation as someone who “gets stuff done” with immense passion and heart. Alice’s commitment to community development and citizen-led initiatives inspired the creation of Tigerstedt Flea Pop-Up Market, a place that currently hosts some of the most unique artisans in the city and also sells products online through its website. In 2020, Alice helped create the Calgary Community Fridge and, in 2021, the Good Neighbour Community Market. Alice’s strong sense of community development has been the driving force behind the creation of Volly, a web-based platform that pairs volunteers with organizations that need them. In 2022, Alice launched her dream project Caremyway.ca to help make health literacy more accessible to immigrant families, with the idea to develop it into a leading health platform globally one day.

Originally from Guatemala, Janeth Alonso fled to Canada in search of a better future for herself and her family. Janeth’s passion for helping fellow immigrant women succeed in their settlement and integration journey brought her to CIWA, where she first became involved as a group participant in 1989 and was hired on as a volunteer coordinator and later as a volunteer manager, a role that she held until her retirement in 2021 following a 32-year service.

Janeth’s unparalleled commitment, positive attitude, and kindness ensured that thousands of volunteers at CIWA had a positive experience, learned valuable skills, and gave back to the community in meaningful ways. Her dedication to going above and beyond her duties has deservedly resulted in gratitude from the many volunteers that Janeth mentored and coached to achieve their settlement goals and become successful in their own integration in Canada. Janeth will forever be one of the original “CIWA Divas”, an unofficial title bestowed on a select few, Unsung Heroes in their own right.