January’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Jenn Hayward to support a week-long initiative of gratitude and artistic expression.

“Ottawa residents will be invited to share stories and shout-outs about fellow citizens who have supported them during challenging times,” explains Jenn.

“These collected messages will then be curated and transformed into a visual art piece or a series of art installations,” she continues, “which will serve as a tangible representation of the city's collective gratitude and resilience.”

“The project will showcase the city's compassionate spirit through real-life stories of support and kindness,” says Jenn, “and the resulting artwork will stand as a testament to the strong bonds within the Ottawa community.”

Jenn is a Métis comedian and storyteller. “I wrote for CBC for 8 years,” she says, “worked in the prison system for 8 years (but escaped), and ran a million-dollar business... into the ground. During COVID, I scaled a courier business so quickly it had nowhere to go but down. Now, after bankruptcy, I do consultancy work with businesses and non-profits on reconciliation planning.”