A University of Guelph graduate and two former faculty members received 2015 Guelph Awards of Excellence last evening from the Guelph Chamber of Commerce.

This year’s keynote speaker was Governor General David Johnston.

The awards honour individuals and companies who have made outstanding contributions to the city.

Alumnus Stephen (Shaker) Cuevas, a former Gryphon basketball player, received a mayor’s award, and former professors Gord Surgeoner and Clare Rennie received lifetime achievement awards.

In 2007, Cuevas founded Ball 4 All, a basketball-themed outreach program providing underprivileged youth with free weekly access to sports competition, training, nutrition seminars and guest speakers.

Participants are mostly school-aged children and teens from the Ward, Brant Avenue and Willow Road neighbourhoods. Under the program, sponsors and volunteers provide free coaching, transportation and food.

In presenting the award, Mayor Cam Guthrie said, “The kids in the program learn lessons that extend well beyond the basketball court. They gain a sense of belonging, a yearning to participate and the confidence to overcome obstacles and make good life choices. They gain life skills that help them succeed in the future. Stephen is building a healthier, safer and more connected community.”

Surgeoner, a former environmental biology and plant agriculture professor, was honoured for his contributions to Canada’s agri-food sector.

A U of G alumnus, he is a passionate agri-food leader and education proponent. He has advised provincial agricultural bodies and served as president of Ontario Agri-Food Technologies (OAFT).

Under his leadership, the OAFT funded and supported tests of quinoa as a health product and switchgrass as an alternative energy crop. The organization created a “rapid response” program allowing producers and companies to readily export agri-tech products.

Rennie, former professor in the Ontario Agricultural College, was recognized as a “visionary of new possibilities who always got the job done with diplomacy and determination.”

Following 22 years at U of G, he spent 11 years as director of Semex Alliance, a livestock genetics company, and worked on dairy production in China, South Korea and Japan.

A former president of the Rotary Club of Guelph, Rennie serves on committees at the Elliott Community, a Guelph seniors care facility.