TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A table tennis champion from Vancouver, a scholar with a 99.5% average from Bolton, ON, an advocate for social justice from Calgary, a Taekwondo black-belt from Markham. These are four of eighteen student winners of the 24th Annual Jean Lumb Awards.

The Jean Lumb Foundation celebrates 24 years of awarding scholarships to recognize excellence in students of Chinese heritage from coast to coast. Since the Foundation’s inception in 1998, it has recognized over 130 young people, many of whom are now leaders in their chosen fields. Past recipients of the Jean Lumb Award are now working as lawyers, medical doctors, entrepreneurs, engineers, graphic artists, educators, accountants, and dentists locally, across Canada as far north as Nunavut, and around the world in the United States, China, and Singapore.

The 24th Annual Jean Lumb Awards will be held on SATURDAY, October 23, 2:00-3:30 p.m. EDT Toronto time. The virtual event can be enjoyed from coast to coast, no matter where anyone lives. The University of Toronto Scarborough has generously agreed to host the Zoom event.

The total number of awards has been doubled again due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has unleashed challenging demands on students and their families.  A total of eighteen students will receive the Jean Lumb Award, including winners from British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. Our Foundation is pleased that we are able to increase our support for young people.

Without a doubt, this year’s winners of the Jean Lumb Awards are the best of the best who will continue in their individual quests for excellence. They’re all bright, young, and exceptional in Academics, the Arts, Community Services, Athletics, Defence of the Environment, Dignity of Life, and Innovation. Two new awards have been added: Leader of Tomorrow Award in memory of Pam Lumb Collett, the youngest daughter of Jean Lumb; and, Judges’ Choice Award in memory of Valerie Mah.

“The judging panel had the challenge of selecting the eighteen winners out of so many outstanding applications from across Canada,” said Arlene Chan, eldest daughter of Jean Lumb and president of the Jean Lumb Foundation. “I am so impressed by these young people who have excelled in so many areas of interest. My mother would have been so very proud of their achievements.”

The Jean Lumb Awards are given annually to recognize the extraordinary talents and skills of young people and to encourage their continued quest for excellence. The awards celebrate the hopes and dreams of the early generations of Chinese Canadians whose hard work and sacrifice have paved the road for today’s generation. Jean Lumb was the first Chinese Canadian woman to receive the Order of Canada for her tireless community work as a voice and advocate for Chinese communities in Toronto and across Canada.

For a list of the winners and their backgrounds, please see attached detailed press release in pdf format.

Media are welcome to request advance interviews via videoconferencing.

For further information, please contact Stephen Wong at (416) 817-5237 or by e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected].

A PDF accompanying this announcement is available at http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/012d9eb0-aa21-44c0-a8f0-11c7cf099e08