Growing up in Cambridge, Amber Gregory says she learned what community spirit is, something she believes was instrumental in her winning the 2021 BC Medal of Good Citizenship this spring.
“With even the work I do here, I have to almost thank growing up in Cambridge for that because it gave me that community feel whereas where I am here, Vancouver and BC, has developed so quickly that there isn’t that connection," said Gregory over the phone.
"When I go home everybody still knows each other at the corner store. Part of what I’ve done here is help create community projects so that people do know their neighbours.”
She and her family now live in Coquitlam which borders onto Vancouver, where Gregory works as a campaign manager with corporate relations for United Way.
Her parents and most of her extended family still live in Cambridge.
When she saw nursing students were at risk of losing out on graduating because there were no practicums available, she created an opportunity for more than 100 nursing students to help seniors, who were grappling with deteriorating mental health, by doing porch-side visits supporting individuals. The nurses did over 9000 hours in the community.
Additionally she worked with a group of Counselling Phycology students doing their practicum with her. They helped to prepare training courses on empathy in the medical sector and compassion fatigue for the nurses and frontline healthcare workers.
"It was really important to me to teach them to take care on themselves. As they embarked on their career as nurses. I was currently in and out of the hospital at the time and seeing first hand what was going on."
Gregory also saw more effective ways to engage youth during the pandemic to help with mental health.
She connected basketball coaches with over 300 youth for six-months to help coach them and engage with them on a different level.
In the first year of the pandemic, Gregory helped whenever she saw a need she could fill, earning a medal for good citizenship along with 34 other distinguished recipients including BC's Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
During an unusual time, Gregory found ways to help people, and continues to be a strong force in UWBC’s response during emergency disasters. UWBC has since stepped in to help with the fire and flood emergency response efforts in BC.
"Our teams work very hard collectively as an organization. It’s wonderful to work for a place where I can do what I love everyday.”
Although she has switched roles and is now on the corporate relations team, raising funds to support these efforts. She continually builds those relationships in the community and corporate partnerships. To help with the efforts being done on the ground.
During the wildfires of 2021, United Way BC raised more than $545,870 to support the needs of communities most affected, and over $3 million has been raised to support over 13,000 individuals, in 42 affected communities across the province.
Following in her mother’s footsteps, her 16-year-old daughter, Kyra, is now a junior youth outreach worker at Access Youth Outreach Services in BC. They provide outreach support and services to at-risk youth in the community. After a long stint of volunteering since she was nearly 5-years-old.
Kyra flies home to Cambridge whenever she can, and loves the city her mom grew up in.
“She’s always been such a giving person so it’s nice that she has been able to do that as her weekend job. She’s always the one whole telling me mom, one person can make such a difference,” said Gregory, a proud mom more than anything else.
Jasica Grewal, director of community impact and investment for UWBC said Gregory is always looking for ways to help the community.
“She is an amazing connector and can relate and build relationships everywhere she goes," she says. "She makes people laugh, feel heard and safe to contribute in any way they wish. She has this ability to energize people and bring folks together to support community-driven goals.”
“UWBC is fortunate to have such a passionate person working here to support our work and mission.”
