A civilian employee with the Chatham-Kent Police Service is up for a provincial award that recognizes community work two years after placing as a runner-up.
Kristine Jarvis, who has worked in the Canadian Police Information Center unit since 2007, has been nominated as a community role model award given out by the Police Association of Ontario each year.
The award recognizes the contributions of people outside of their jobs. Jarvis is also the president of the Chatham-Kent Victims Services board, one of the original steering committee members of Shop with a Cop and chair of the Salvation Army toy drive.
Darlene Smith, who nominated Jarvis and has also been on the Victims Services board since about 2018, said she thought her colleague’s “good work” in the community should be celebrated. She was not aware Jarvis was a finalist for the same award in 2020.
Smith said aside from Jarvis’ work with different organizations, she’s also the first to start campaigns for items like mittens, coats and gloves for people who are homeless or in need.
“If there is somebody’s birthday or a celebration of some kind … she’s always the first to celebrate that with the department and does a great job getting people together,” Smith said.
Jarvis said right now she is most proud of the work Victims Services has done over her time as president of the board.
“We’ve gone through a huge transition over the last three years and I am super proud of the six staff that I have and the work that they do in the community,” she said. “Obviously, over the last two years of the pandemic, it’s been a little more of a challenge for them.”
She said there was a “clean sweep” of the organization in order to move it in a “positive direction.”
Jarvis is also a wish granter with Make a Wish Foundation. Her role is to help make one of a child’s top three wishes come true.
She said she isn’t sure what made her want to become involved with her community, but she feels she always gets back more than she puts in.
Jarvis credits the support of her employer and her family for making her efforts possible.
“I have a wonderful husband and six kids and they help me with so much of this, from shopping for the kids at Christmas that don’t have toys to wrapping all the stuff for the Make a Wish,” she said. “It’s very much a group effort.”
Nominations for the police association’s award are open until March 14. The winners for all Police Services Hero of the Year awards will be announced at the association’s annual general meeting in June.