Each issue we honour some of the Manitoba women who are making a difference in our community and across the world.

For the third straight year, singer Amanda Falk took home the award for Female Vocalist of the Year at the 29th annual Covenant Awards. Sponsored by the Gospel Music Association of Canada, the awards celebrate a wide variety of music styles, from Aboriginal music to hard rock. Falk, just 22, is working on her second album with Winnipeg’s Avante Records. To find out more about this inspiring musician, head to avanterecords.com or amandafalk.com.

On Sept. 17, 2007, Vic Cowie ACTRA Manitoba Lifetime Achievement awards were given to veteran performers Doreen Brownstone and Daphne Korol.

Over her 50-plus-year career, actor Doreen Brownstone has appeared on just about every Winnipeg stage, and with nearly every local theatre company. In 2008, she will appear in Fiddler on the Roof at the Manitoba Theatre Centre, as part of their 50th anniversary season. Brownstone has also been seen on film, most notably The Stone Angel and The Diviners, both based on novels by Manitoban Margaret Laurence.

An accomplished dancer, Daphne Korol was once offered an invitation to dance with the Russian Ballet, and as a young woman performed in Argentina (where she made the acquaintance of the future Eva Peron). She would go on to become a much-loved local dance teacher as well. Much of her artistic career, however, was channeled into that of her former husband, designer Taras (Ted) Korol. Later in her life, Korol unleashed her talents as a thespian as well, appearing in such locally-lensed films as Shall We Dance? and The Saddest Music in the World.

Retire His Number
You’ve bought it all, from hockey tickets to a new game system to slippers (everyone has an off year). After a while it’s nearly impossible to think of something unique to buy for your husband. One great option is having a jersey framed so that it can be hung as a keepsake in the office or rec room. You could choose to frame his childhood Jets uniform or his signed Selanne jersey. Framing & Art Centre on Portage Avenue sells jersey frames that perfectly fit an adult hockey jersey, and they will also custom frame just about any kind of memorabilia, from scouting badges to concert ticket stubs to Chelsea FC paraphernalia.