It’s not every day you get asked to honour something as big as a king’s coronation!
Introduced to mark the ascension of King Charles III on May 6, 2023, the King Charles III Coronation Medal is a commemorative medal awarded to select members of the Canadian Armed Forces and Public Service, as well as individuals who have advanced Canadian society or who made significant contributions to the country.
CNIB was one of many nominating partner organizations. CNIB Lake Joe nominated two volunteers who have made outstanding contributions to their communities: Barb Ennis and Jim Tokos.
Barb Ennis considers herself a “lifer at Lake Joe.” When she was a little girl, her mother was a nurse at camp, and Barb got to tag along. Living a short boat ride away from camp, she became a camp counsellor and later an assistant manager. For 32 years, she served CNIB clients as a dedicated Orientation & Mobility Specialist. Passionate about changing what it means to be blind, she joined the Lion Club, climbing the ranks and making significant contributions as a “Knight of the Blind.” After retiring from CNIB, she remained committed to the cause, serving on CNIB/Lake Joe Boards and committees. Barb was presented her medal on March 26, 2025, by Mayor Peter Kelley, Township of Muskoka Lakes, at her local Lions Club in Port Carling.
Jim Tokos has been actively involved with CNIB Lake Joe in a variety of roles since 1997. As a person living with vision loss, Jim deeply values the opportunity to ensure other people who are blind, Deafblind and who have low vision can come to camp and push their limits. Jim was a CNIB Lake Joe Advisory Board member and is serving his second term as National President of the Canadian Council of the Blind. Jim was presented his medal on March 25, 2025, by Mayor Andrea Horwath at Hamilton City Hall and Stephanie Wilsack, Chair of the CNIB Lake Joe Advisory Board.
Jim and Barb came together for a virtual interview after their respective ceremonies to congratulate each other and share what their commitment to camp – and receiving the Coronation Medal – means to them.
How do you two know each other?
Barb: Jim and I keep running into each other at camp. I don't know Jim outside of camp. Every time I go to camp – it doesn't matter when – Jim is there. He has made a big impact at the camp.
Jim: Yeah, for about seven or eight years, I volunteered at camp the whole summer. I'd come up in June and go home in September. Barb was always so involved with CNIB and Lake Joe and with the Lions.
Do you have a favourite memory or moment from your time at CNIB Lake Joe?
Barb: I've been involved with Lake Joe every decade. When I was five years old, my mom was hired as the camp nurse, and I would go with her and hang out. I was a little girl with no exposure to people with vision loss, and I noticed they were walking down the boardwalk by themselves, finding their cabins, and going water skiing. As a young child, I saw that even if you had vision loss, you could still have a wonderful life and do all these great things. I've taught people how to water ski, sail, and canoe, and I've got so many memories that I can't pinpoint just one. The overall impression of my memories is seeing someone come to camp terrified. By the end of the week, they've done so many things they've never done before and return home a completely different person.
Jim: You ask for my greatest memory, but I probably have 10 or 20! When I was newly diagnosed with vision loss and was going through rehabilitation, staff pointed me in the direction of the camp. I had this great interest in learning how people with vision loss could do all the great stuff that I had heard of. One of the counsellors took me out in the middle of the lake for a sail past Birch Island. When we were ready to return, he said, “You're sailing back.” So that's where I learned to sail. Lake Joe taught me how to connect with others with sight loss and showed me how lucky I really was. Lake Joe has driven me further into the future.
What does this recognition mean to you?
Jim: It truly is an honour because I’m used to handing out awards, not receiving them. I was very humbled and honoured to receive it at Hamilton City Hall from Mayor Andrea Horwath and Stephanie Wilsack, Lake Joe’s current Board Chair. She was the manager at Lake Joe when I started volunteering, so it felt like things had come full circle.
Barb: I love the monarchy and the pomp and circumstance, and it was so cool to be nominated. I’m much better at giving awards than receiving them, but I was thrilled. I actually got a little emotional when I was handed my medal by Mayor Peter Kelley at the Port Carling Lions meeting.
How do you hope your volunteer work has impacted people’s lives?
Barb: I hope that I’ve been able to make someone feel a little more comfortable, confident, and safe. I hope that I’ve been able to make them realize that they are capable of so much and, with the proper support and people surrounding them, they can meet their goals and dreams. My tagline is “To leave your footprint.” I hope I’m able to leave a positive footprint at Lake Joe.
Jim: I’m much the same. I encourage anybody who goes through what I went through to go to camp because it is so accessible and user-friendly. You can accomplish anything you want, even things that sighted people are sometimes afraid to do. This is a huge step in rehabilitation for people with vision loss. Thank goodness we have Lake Joe. It’s number one for changing people’s lives; it certainly changed mine.