PORT COQUITLAM — Eight residents of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam were recognised last week as Community Champions at a summer barbecue hosted by Liberal MP Ron McKinnon at Lions Park.
Grassroots work highlighted
The annual gathering brought neighbours together on a warm evening to acknowledge volunteerism and civic engagement across the Tri-Cities. According to the MP’s office, the program honours residents who have made tangible contributions to community life in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam.
Among the eight honoured were young leaders and long-standing cultural organisers whose work spans youth engagement, newcomer supports and community events. The following individuals were named by the MP’s office (listed alphabetically where detail was available):
- Tara Hashemi — noted for volunteer work, organising donation drives and community clean-ups, and for co-chairing the Coquitlam–Port Coquitlam Youth Advisory Council while active as a student tutor and a senator at Simon Fraser University.
- Tina Hashemi — co-chair of the Coquitlam–Port Coquitlam Youth Advisory Council and a volunteer at Douglas College and SFU, credited with driving youth leadership, civic engagement and local initiatives.
- Mehdi Hosseini — a volunteer for more than a decade with the Tri-City Iranian Cultural Society, involved in organising festivals and cultural celebrations that bring residents together.
- Mithila Deepak Karnik — described as an advocate, DEI strategist and non-profit leader through The South Asian Collective Society, focused on programs that support women, newcomers, youth and seniors.
The MP’s office indicated eight champions were selected this year; details released publicly named the people above. The recognition is intended to highlight local acts of service and the varied forms community leadership takes, from youth advising to cultural programming.
Community implications
In Port Coquitlam and neighbouring Coquitlam, volunteer-led initiatives are central to the social infrastructure. Youth councils, cultural societies and newcomer-serving organisations help plug gaps between municipal services and the needs of a fast-growing, diverse population.
Organisations like the Coquitlam–Port Coquitlam Youth Advisory Council create pathways for young people to influence local decisions, while cultural groups stage events that preserve traditions and foster cross-cultural understanding. Recognition from an elected official can raise profiles for smaller groups, helping with volunteer recruitment and fundraising.
| Champion | Role / Contribution (as described) |
|---|---|
| Tara Hashemi | Volunteer, youth leadership, SFU senator, co-chair Youth Advisory Council |
| Tina Hashemi | Co-chair Youth Advisory Council, volunteer at Douglas College and SFU |
| Mehdi Hosseini | Long-time volunteer with Tri-City Iranian Cultural Society |
| Mithila Deepak Karnik | DEI strategist, non-profit leader with The South Asian Collective Society |
City services and community groups in Port Coquitlam have increasingly relied on volunteer effort to sustain festivals, settlement supports and youth programming amid population growth. Recognition events such as this signal official acknowledgement of that labour and can help connect volunteers with municipal and federal-level resources.
For residents watching local development and community planning, the composition of grassroots leadership matters. Youth-driven voices on advisory councils can affect priorities around recreation, transit and public space while cultural organisers shape how newcomers settle and participate.
“Honouring volunteers that strengthen neighbourhood ties is vital to the resilience of our communities,” the MP’s office said in its announcement.
While the full list of all eight champions was not included in the public release that accompanied the barbecue, the cited recipients illustrate a cross-section of civic involvement: students and youth leaders, cultural society volunteers and advocates focused on equity and newcomer supports.
The summer event at Lions Park provided an opportunity for neighbours to meet elected officials, for volunteers to be publicly acknowledged, and for the broader Tri-Cities community to reflect on how unpaid labour and grassroots organisation contribute to the day-to-day life of Port Coquitlam. As the municipality grows, those informal networks remain central to preserving civic fabric and ensuring diverse voices are heard.
