Woman of Spirit Award

Nominations are now open for the 2023 Woman of Spirit Award

The Woman of Spirit Award was established in 2019 to highlight and celebrate the many and varied achievements of an extraordinary woman from the Greater Hamilton Area. 

• The nominee must be resident in the Greater Hamilton Area.

• The nominee shall have provided distinguished community service.

• The nominee will be selected on the basis of their outstanding contribution to the community.

The nomination package is available by clicking here.

Congratulations to Charaya Thach, recipient of the 2022 Woman of Spirit Award!

Born in South Vietnam, Charaya and her family were part of a wave of refugees who left  Vietnam in the 1970s and 1980s. After enduring a harrowing journey with her family to escape  Vietnam, Charaya spent years in a refugee camp in Thailand before immigrating to Canada at  age 10. Today, she makes her home in Hamilton, has a successful career in the finance industry,  and volunteers her time as the Chair of the YWCA Hamilton Board of Directors. Despite the  many twists and turns in her journey – or, perhaps because of them – Charaya is determined to  give back, to help others, and to build Hamilton.

Charaya began her relationship with YWCA Hamilton after being invited to join the Board of  Directors.  As the face of the #WomenBuildHamilton campaign, Charaya is playing an instrumental role in raising the necessary funds to build and sustain the Putman Family YWCA, which will be a transformational community hub and women-led supportive community in Hamilton. Charaya has seen first-hand how meaningful it is for residents to move into their new homes at the Putman Family YWCA and she says, “I can’t help  but see myself reflected in the families moving in. My hope is that someday, there will be a  little Charaya living there – and that the Putman Family YWCA will be the home where she  blooms.”