Mississauga teacher receives award from city

 

A local teacher is being recognized by the City of Mississauga for her efforts to help provide free bikes to students.

Janice Lowe, a high school teacher in Malton, was presented with the 2020 Phil Green Award, which is handed out annually by the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee (MCAC). The award celebrates a Mississauga resident, group or individual who has shown exceptional effort to promote cycling in the community.

Lowe reached out to her network after learning dozens of her students didn’t have access to a bike and began collecting donations as well as helmets and locks to give to these students.

Through donations from her network and the community, Lowe and her Grow, Lead, Excel (GLE) Movement program, started in 2018 to support students at her school, provided 150 bikes to Malton youth, teens and adults in 2020.

“Janice is an inspiration to us all. She recognized how the pandemic was negatively affecting the well-being of her students and she took the initiative to fill the need she saw,” said Ward 3 Councillor Chris Fonseca, Chair of the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee. “By providing bikes to students, who didn’t have their own, she gave them a way to get outdoor exercise and access their community -- helping them stay happy, healthy and connected.

“I want to say a big thank you to everyone who contributed to this incredible initiative and further encouraged our youth to cycle.”

The Malton Business Improvement Association also partnered with Lowe and the GLE Movement to distribute another 12 bikes, helmets and bike locks to the local community. The Malton BIA then started the Victory Hall Bike Shop, which helped hand out another 160 bikes to Malton children, youth and parents.

The Phil Green Award honours Mississauga resident, Phil Green, a founding MCAC member and tireless promoter of safe cycling and sustainable transportation in the city.