Ladner's Kathy Manning was surprised and honoured to receive a Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.
"I was very, very honoured. I was completely caught off guard, I had no idea," she said.
Manning, who received the medal at a ceremony last month, has helped raise thousands of dollars for cancer. She lost her sister Mona, who battled ovarian cancer, last year.
Her team raised about $5,000 in 2007 for while taking part in the Underwear Affair, a run/ walk event for cancers below the waist.
"It got me thinking, I wanted to do something bigger."
Manning, who works for Canada Revenue Agency, and her team got together again in 2010 for the Weekend to End Women's Cancers, a two-day walk for the B.C. Cancer Foundation, and raised more than $60,000.
"When I pulled everyone together, the eight of us, there was expectations but we were doing it mostly to involve my sister at whatever level we could and my parents and the community was just ... it was an amazing experience," she said.
The team raised money through events like a hotdog sale and pub night.
"We became quite competitive."
Manning has volunteered the last two years with the Fishermen Helping Kids with Cancer herring sale.
She said simple acts of kindness, like saying something nice to somebody or sending a card, can make a huge difference.
"It really is just people giving a little bit of their time. It's the simple little things."
The Diamond Jubilee Medal marks the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne and also honours significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.
