Mr Michael Guertin '76 Announced as 2013 Ignatian Challenge Award Recipient
2 April 2013, St Paul's High School, News Release
St Paul's High School, an independent Catholic School operated by the Jesuits in English Canada with an emphasis on academic excellence and the growth of the whole person in preparing young men for post-secondary education and leadership in the community, is delighted to announce Mr Michael Guertin, President and CEO of Guertin Equipment, as the recipient of the 2013 Ignatian Challenge Award.
"It is a pleasure to announce Mr Michael Guertin as this year's Ignatian Award Recipient" says Fr Alan Fogarty SJ, President of St Paul's High School. "A strong believer in a quality Jesuit education, Michael has led by example with a steady hand and has demonstrated that he is a life long learner by his openness to growth. He is not only intellectually competent but a truly loving and caring individual. A family man with a deep concern for the poor and challenged in the greater Winnipeg community, Michael exhibits traits that St Paul's High School emphasizes in its formation of young men" says Fr Fogarty SJ.
Michael Guertin was born to Edmond and Margaret Guertin and grew up in the small French community of Ste Agathe, Manitoba. He attended l'école Sainte-Agathe prior to attending St Paul's High School in the fall of 1972. Since his graduation from St Paul's in 1976, Michael has contributed countless volunteer hours to the School and is currently serving his third term as a member of the Board of Directors. Most recently he served as co-chair of the MultiPlex Building Committee and currently serves as Chair of the Building & Grounds subcommittee of the Board, a position he has held since 2006. In this capacity he has provided invaluable leadership and guidance on the School's recent physical plant improvements and on the construction of the MultiPlex that is currently taking shape on our south campus. In addition to his faithful and loyal service, Mr Guertin is extremely dedicated to his family and his community. The Guertin family are active parishioners at the Roman Catholic Parish of St Timothy in south St Vital where Michael served on the parish council and executive council for eight years and played a leading role in the fundraising campaign and construction of their new church which opened in 1994. He also serves as a fundraiser on the current St Amant Foundation campaign through the work of the Kiwanis Club of St Boniface and St Vital while also assisting with special projects for the St Amant Board. Michael took over the presidency of Guertin Equipment in 1988, a company that has approximately 60 employees and will celebrate 100 years as a John Deere dealer in 2014. The business focuses on the golf and light construction industry and covers the region from the Lakehead to Alberta border. Mr Guertin is humbled to be selected as the Ignatian Award recipient for 2013 and credits his time at St Paul's for developing "friends for life, a brotherhood...no other school in our province can offer this type of personal connection while growing up, it is truly incredible."
Michael and his wife, Lynne, have been married for twenty-five years and have two sons, Samuel, who graduated from St Paul's in 2011 and Dominic, who will graduate this June.
The Ignatian Challenge Award will be presented to Mr Guertin at a formal dinner at the Winnipeg Convention Centre on Tuesday, 5 November, 2013. The award recognizes individuals within our community who embrace the ideals of St Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, and who reflect the characteristics and qualities inherent in a Jesuit education at St Paul's High School. Award recipients, through their leadership and commitment to service, become examples for our students of a lived faith and philosophy of becoming Men and Women for Others.
Mr Guertin joins past recipients including Dr Arthur Mauro, Mr Paul Albrechtsen, Dr Michael Phelps '63, Mr Kevin and Mrs Els Kavanagh, Mr Gregg Hanson '69, Fr Joseph Driscoll SJ, Dr Angus Reid '65, Mr Richard and Mrs Kathryn Bracken, Mr Joe Stangl, Dr William Norrie, Mr Robert Puchniak '65, Mr Gary and Mrs Janice Filmon, Mr Robert Chipman '44, Mr James Tennant '66, Mr Hubert Kleysen, Dr Em?ke Szathmáry, Dr Peter MacDonald '76, Mr Gary Doer '66 and last year's recipients Mr Paul and Mrs Carol Hill.
The event is an annual fundraiser for the St Paul's High School Bursary Program that provides need-based tuition assistance to current and future students.
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