Kelly has held a number of volunteer and advisory positions, including several with the Gustavson School of Business. He was appointed for efforts ‘strengthening reconciliation and unity’ across the province
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On Aug. 3, 12 individuals were announced as recipients of the Order of British Columbia. Among the recipients is Patrick Kelly (T’esóts’en) of the Leq’á:mel First Nation (located east of Mission in the Fraser Valley) in the Stó:lō Nation.
Kelly is a member of the advisory council for the Dean of the Gustavson School of Business, as well as a member of the School’s international advisory board. He also said he was also an advisor to the UVic President during the development of the university’s strategic plan.
The Order is given to “individuals who have made exceptional contributions to British Columbia and beyond.” Kelly was bestowed this honour for “strengthening reconciliation and unity across B.C. by bringing diverse communities together to resolve conflicts and advance lasting change.”
“It feels great,” Kelly told the Martlet in an interview. “It was quite a surprise to learn about it, of course. It’s not something one knows about or anticipates.”
Kelly said he received a call about the appointment in July, when he was attending his granddaughter’s fifth-grade graduation.
“It was embargoed at that point, [but] that’s how I heard about it. The official decision was conveyed to me in a letter from the premier on the third of August.”
Kelly said that it was difficult to keep quiet for a month until the official decision went public.
“I’ve had a lot of personal [contributions] to volunteerism … my own personal belief is that it’s important for those of us who are treated well by society and community to give back if we can.“If things are of interest to me personally, but more importantly, benefit the community, I’m interested in helping out.”
Over the years, Kelly has volunteered with the Friendship Centre in Mission, the Mission Heritage Association, and the Coqualeetza Cultural Centre, and served on the boards of the Vancouver Community College, the BC Buildings Corporation, the Law Society of British Columbia, the Law Foundation of British Columbia, the Provincial Court Judicial Council, the BC Energy Regulator, Golf Canada, British Columbia Golf, and the Victoria Foundation.
Kelly encourages people to find ways to align their knowledge, skills, interests, and abilities with the needs of their communities.
In his time volunteering, Kelly says he has been exposed to “50 plus different cultures” from the many people he has worked with.
“I’ve learned so much [about] different faiths and different cultural protocols … to me, that’s the richness of volunteering — what [you] gain and learn from the so many beautiful people that you run into,” he said.
In his decades of volunteering, Kelly has spent 22 years doing volunteer work related to law and justice alone.
“The law apparently has been a fairly strong aspect of my own personal interest profile,” said Kelly. “I think the laws are a very significant safeguard in civil society. We’re a better society when we know we have laws that protect our fundamental rights and our privileges.”
During Kelly’s time with the Friendship Centre in Mission, he helped raise money to buy the centre a building, as the centre helped to provide community support like food, clothing, shelter, and also served as a meeting place for the community at large.
Around the same time, Kelly said, he became involved — along with a small group — in fighting a B.C. Government decision to buy the land of the former St. Mary’s Residential School in Mission and turn it into medium- and high-density market housing. This led to the creation of the Mission Heritage Association, which sought to keep a portion of the land for community purposes. After more than a year of negotiation, 50 acres were given to the Association, which in turn gave the title of the land to the Fraser Valley Regional District on behalf of the citizens of the region.
“It’s an honour, to be honest,” he said about receiving the award. “I do the work that I do not for the honour or recognition; I do it because I believe in it. It’s in my heart to do what I do, and I’ve done it for a long time. I think the first time I volunteered was when I was 16. I’m 70 now.”
The Awards ceremony of the Order of B.C. winners will be taking place on Sept. 24 at Government House.
