Awesome Ottawa is giving two awards this month, one to Edward Kwan to support Drag Queen Mah Jong, and the other to Cathy Hamilton to support a grassroots food pantry.
China Doll. Photo: Awesome Ottawa.
Edward is an Ottawa-based drag performer who uses drag to spread love, joy, and laughter.
“Mah Jong is an ancient Chinese tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China,” explains Edward, “and that has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. Want to learn how to play? Already know how to play? I guarantee that even beginners will be able to play after one session.”
“All materials and step by step instructions will be provided by me, China Doll. It’s a great chance to socialize and sharpen your skills.”
Cathy Hamilton with residents of Clementine Towers. Photo: Awesome Ottawa.
Cathy Hamilton has been running the food pantry at Ottawa Community Housing’s Clementine Towers for almost a year, sourcing food from her family, friends, and local farmers. The Awesome Ottawa award will help her buy a deep freezer, shelving, and tables. She is herself a tenant of the building.
“On Thursdays, I’m here by the food pantry and the tenants come down. But really, I’m here nearly every day because I get knocks on my door and phone calls.”
“During the pandemic,” Cathy explains, “I saw that people were really hungry here, so I tried to figure out how I could help. They can’t make it to the food bank. So they rely on others in the building.”
Awesome Ottawa is part of a global movement of self-organizing chapters forwarding the interest of awesome in the universe, $1,000 at a time. At each chapter, 10 or so “trustees” each contribute $100 every month, and review short applications received online to decide on the recipient of the pooled funds — usually a local project, but occasionally a particularly awesome one far away from home. Globally, close to $6 million has already been awarded – $155,000 of that by Awesome Ottawa.
