On Wednesday, April 10, the Honourable Kevin Feehan will be recognized with Catholic Social Services’ (CSS) first inaugural Archbishop J.H. MacDonald Distinguished Lifetime Contribution Award for his outstanding contributions to the agency and those it serves.
Named after Archbishop J.H. MacDonald, the prelate under whose sponsorship Father Bill Irwin was encouraged and enabled to create Catholic Social Services, the Distinguished Lifetime Contribution Award will be granted annually to an individual who has significantly impacted the building and evolution of CSS.
“Kevin Feehan has been fundamental to the growth and success of the agency,” said Dr. Troy Davies, CEO, CSS. “He has provided decades of exemplary service and leadership as a volunteer and a Board member. His legacy and impact will be felt throughout the agency for many years to come.”
Father Bill Irwin was a close family friend of the Feehan Family, who shared Irwin’s vision to care for and bring hope to those in need. In the 1960s, Feehan’s mother, Kay, served as one of the agency’s founding Board Members. In 1985, Irwin approached Kevin Feehan, and asked for his help preparing legal documentation to establish Sign of Hope, Catholic Social Services’ charitable arm.
“Since that day in 1985, I have been continuously engaged with Sign of Hope, Catholic Social Services, and Catholic Charities, including significant terms as Chair of all three organizations,” said Feehan. “The strength of a society is measured by its care and loving of those most vulnerable and in need. We make the world a better place when we engage in helping others. It is this understanding and belief that has kept me engaged with the agency for over thirty years.”
The J.H. MacDonald Distinguished Lifetime Contribution Award will be presented to Feehan at Catholic Social Services’ Mission Recognition Awards Luncheon at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel West Edmonton. The annual luncheon recognizes long-serving employees as well as those who exemplify the agency’s mission and guiding principles of humility, compassion, and respect through its Servus Dei Awards.
“I am honoured and humbled to be the recipient of this inaugural award,” said Feehan. “Many people over the past thirty years have made this agency the essential social services provider in Edmonton and northern and central Alberta. I have been privileged to have been one of these many volunteers.”
The Honourable Kevin Feehan is a judge of the Alberta Court of Appeal. He also serves as a judge of the Court of Appeal for the Northwest Territories and a judge of the Court of Appeal of Nunavut.