The founder of Helping Haiti, Tammy Aristilde, was presented with the Meritorious Service Medal on June 23rd in Ottawa by Governor General David Johnston.
Created by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Meritorious Service Decorations recognize Canadians for exceptional deeds that bring honour to our country. The cross was originally created in 1984, for members of the military. In 1991, a medal was added to the military division, and both the cross and medal were introduced for civilians.
The Meritorious Service Medal is a circular silver medal bearing the Royal Crown: on one side of which appears the design of the Cross, and on the other appears the Royal Cypher, and within a double circle the inscription MERITORIOUS SERVICE MÉRITOIRE.
While there is no cash award to Meritorious Service Medal recipients, it does shine a light on charities that both raises awareness and confidence for donors.

Aristilde’s hope in being awarded the Meritorious Service Medal is for “increased awareness of the work being done on the ground with Helping Haiti and for others to get involved. There are strength in numbers and we are excited to increase our numbers, our reach and our impact.”
Kingston Herald’s article: http://kingstonherald.com/news/medal-recipient-haiti-2010316498
News Reslease from the Office of the Governor General: https://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=16479&lan=eng