ANNIE OLIVER AWARD – GEORGE BRAITHWAITE

GEORGE BRAITHWAITE

Winner of the Fifth Annie Oliver Award

George was one of the individuals that was active in the mid-90’s with the creation of OASIS itself, and in fact was one of the original Board members. George served a total of 2 years on his first (& to use George phrasing) “tour of duty”. George returned to OASIS in 2002 and served six more years. During his second tour, George served the Board as: Director At Large; Vice President, President & Past President.

George invested countless hours of volunteer time on behalf of OASIS; traveled thousands of miles through all types of weather & in all modes of travel: “planes, trains & automobiles”, and spent far too many nights to count in hotels & motels across the province.

George was been one of the OASIS representatives to both the Provincial Network and the Partnership Table, and was able to ‘speak’ as both a parent and an OASIS rep. As the OASIS representative George worked consistently to develop relationships with other stakeholders and the Ministry. His involvement and the development of these relationships provided OASIS with access to senior ministry officials, & involvement in discussions concerning many topics facing the sector.

George enjoys playing the role of self-deprecating woodcutter from the boonies. In fact this is the furthest thing from the reality. George is incredibly intelligent, insightful, analytical & political.

George’s military training was never far removed. His preparation for meetings was astonishing. When George first took on the role as President, he would consistently arrive at Board & Executive meetings with somewhere between 5-10 pages of personal notes / comments on the agenda & the past set of minutes in order to be ready for the discussions.

George has exemplified the mission of OASIS through his tireless efforts, strong leadership and numerous activities on behalf of people with developmental disabilities; as a tireless advocate on behalf of the developmental services sector and the Transfer Payment Agencies that are the backbone of the system; and as an exceptional communicator and relationship builder with the Government.