One of the Quinte region’s signature events is coming Thursday (March 6)
The Women Who Inspire Gala to mark International Women’s Day (March 8) will
be held at The Grand in Belleville.
Hastings & Prince Edward and United Nations of Canada (Quinte).
Meeks’s career spans 28 years of diverse assignments.
She has been active with the @unitedwayhpe and serves with many other organizations, and had a key role in the development and implementation of the service’s mental health and addiction strategy.
Meeks has worked with the Belleville Police Senior Officers’ Association and has been vice-president of the Ontario Senior Officers’ Association.
Deputy Chief of the Belleville Police Service Sheri Meeks (Photo: Facebook)
Also being recognized will be Emebet Belete.
She is an artist and educator who was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A graduate of the Addis Ababa Fine Arts School, and Queen’s University, Kingston, her artistic practice reflects her cross-cultural observations living in Ethiopia, Canada and Asia.
Her work can be found at the National Museum of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian National Institute of Culture, TEDA Archives (Tianjin, China) and in private collections around the world. Her current project is Bridging Communities, where she is organizing diverse communities in creative crochet circles, and covering the Upper Front Street Bridge in downtown Belleville in crochet.
Artist Emebet Belete (Photo: Facebook)
Since moving to Prince Edward County in 1992, Linda and her husband have been involved in many volunteer positions. In 2007, Linda founded the Storehouse Wellington & District Food Bank along with her husband Robert Downey, who is also a PEC Volunteer Firefighter.
Linda worked at the Wellington Times as the Advertising Manager before she quit to run the food bank full-time.
Over the years the food bank expanded to be more than just a food bank. Linda added a Backpack Program, Snow Suit Program, Christmas Angel Program and Holiday Hampers for every holiday. The food bank also has given out used clothing and household items.
Linda Downey. (Photo: Facebook)
