Meaningful award hits 20 years celebrating employee leadership

Ron and Margery McLennan set out for a bike ride from their lake house on a summer afternoon. Their children were driving up for a family dinner to celebrate their anniversary. The day promised joy and togetherness.

Ron, known for his adventurous and carefree spirit, spotted a rickety ramp and couldn’t resist the temptation to jump. With a rush of adrenaline, he took off, but the landing went horribly wrong.

In a flash, what should have been a fun leisurely bike ride turned into a crisis. STARS was called to the scene, and he was immediately transported to the nearest major hospital. But, despite their efforts, Ron tragically passed away. The day that started with laughter ended in heartbreak, leaving his family to mourn the loss of a beloved husband and father.

In 2004, the Ron McLennan Memorial Education Award was established by Brian Halina, President of Chemco, and close friend of Ron’s. It is funded annually by Margery McLennan, her son Greg’s company McGregor-Sharp Filtering Equipment and Dr. Greg and Linda Powell, STARS founders. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the award.

At STARS, the award is presented annually to six team members who have displayed personal leadership in their teams, their bases, and the communities they serve. The honour of winning the Ron McLennan Award acknowledges the recipient’s hard work and dedication and allows the recipient to allocate funds towards education and growth. Recipients are nominated by their peers, based on criteria such as ability to inspire others, commitment to professional development, and the positive influence they’ve had on patient care and their colleagues.

“It’s an honour to be selected for this award,” said past recipient Lyle Aspinall, a member of the STARS communications team. “The impact of the recognition and the value of the leadership training that resulted were enormous for me.”

This year, STARS invited the dedicated group who established and continue to fund the award to attend the award ceremony. We were proud to recognize these generous allies by unveiling the Ron McLennan Memorial Education Award decal on all STARS helicopters to commemorate this milestone anniversary.

“It was super meaningful to know that there was some good result that came of all of this,” said Margery. “It has made me so proud that we can give back in some way. STARS does wonderful things and I’m happy to be a part of that.”

On behalf of all STARS employees, thank you to the dedicated award donors — Margery McLennan, McGregor-Sharp Filtering Equipment, Greg and Linda Powell, and Chemco — for investing in STARS’ future by supporting this educational opportunity for two decades.