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Volunteers

Taylor Award Recipient - Ontario

Joyce Waddell-Townsend

Biography

Congratulations to the Ontario Region’s 2010 Taylor Award nominee, Mrs. Joyce Waddell-Townsend!

Over the last 15 years, Mrs. Waddell-Townsend has volunteered in numerous institutions within the Kingston area supporting the children of offenders to help make their visits a positive experience. She contributes to the cause of children of offenders by sensitizing judges and the public to the fact that, under the Convention of the Rights of Children, children should have the opportunity to visit a parent in an institution, as long as it is in the best interests of the child. She advocated in Parliament for the right of the child to visit his or her incarcerated parent and served on the Bridge House Board, being a resource for staff and parents.

In 1995, Mrs. Waddell-Townsend co-founded Children Visiting Prison (CVP), a group of dedicated volunteers, who developed a “Children and Prisons Teachers Resource Kit” in conjunction with the Teacher Resource Centre at Queen’s Faculty of Education. CVP volunteers also provided storytelling and craft activities for hundreds of children visiting a parent at Bath, Collins Bay and Joyceville institutions and consulted on the development of children’s play corners in the visiting areas at Kingston Penitentiary and Frontenac, Pittsburgh and Millhaven institutions.

Mrs. Waddell-Townsend’s passion for addressing the needs of children visiting incarcerated parents has continued throughout the years. All who know her admire her courage, tenacity and commitment to enriching the lives of those who have been involved in the federal correctional system.