Nerene Virgin facts for kids

Nerene Virgin (December 27, 1946 – January 15, 2024) was a talented Canadian journalist, actress, and teacher. She was also a television host and author. Many people know her best for playing "Jodie" on the popular children's TV show Today's Special.

Early Life and Career

Nerene Virgin was born in Hamilton, Ontario. She grew up in Toronto. After high school, she went to Toronto Teacher's College. She also studied at Brock University to become a special education teacher. She focused on helping very smart children. Nerene Virgin also had special training in teaching arts.

From Teacher to TV Star

Nerene Virgin started her career as a teacher for the Toronto Board of Education. Later, she moved into children's television. She worked for TV Ontario, which is a public TV channel in Ontario. On TVO, she played "Jodie" in the show Today's Special. This show was very famous around the world and was made for seven years.

Nerene Virgin also appeared in other TV shows. These included The Littlest Hobo, Night Heat, and Ramona. She even had roles in movies like Gotti. Before acting, Nerene Virgin was a singer. She sang with a group called the Tiaras in Toronto.

Television News and Hosting

In the late 1980s, Nerene Virgin worked as a weather and community reporter. She worked for CBOT, which is the local CBC Television station in Ottawa.

Hosting Shows in Toronto

After Ottawa, she moved to Toronto. She worked at CTV station CFTO. There, she hosted a show called Eye on Toronto. She also co-hosted an entertainment show called Showbuz. Nerene Virgin was also a host for CTV's yearly Miracle Network Telethon. This event raised money for the Hospital for Sick Children.

National News Anchor

In 1996, Nerene Virgin became a host for a national news show. It was called Coast to Coast and was on CBC Newsworld in Calgary, Alberta. She then came back to Toronto. She helped launch a national weekend news show called Saturday Report for CBC Television. Later, she became an anchor at Newsworld International.

After leaving CBC, Nerene Virgin continued her studies. She got certified to teach English as a Second Language (ESL). She taught students in Linhe, Inner Mongolia, China. Later, she taught French in Stoney Creek.

Community Involvement

Nerene Virgin cared a lot about her community. She was on the board of directors for Phoenix Place. This is a safe home for women and children who have experienced family violence. She was also a member of the council for the College of Early Childhood Educators. This was the first college of its kind in North America.

She also served on Hamilton's Committee Against Racism. She was part of this committee from 2010 to 2018.

Nerene Virgin passed away in Burlington, Ontario on January 15, 2024. She was 77 years old. She is remembered by her husband, Alan Smith, and her children, Yvette, Nicole, and Thomas.

Exploring Black History

Nerene Virgin used her skills as a teacher and journalist to research and share stories about important Black people. These stories were about people in Canadian and U.S. history.

Sharing Important Stories

She wrote biographies for Historica Canada. These stories were about Charles Victor Roman, Charles Lightfoot Roman, and Rev. John Christie Holland. These articles were published in The Canadian Encyclopedia. Nerene also worked with the Dundas Museum and Archives. She helped nominate C. V. Roman for the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.

She worked with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. Her goal was to include Black History in the regular school lessons. Nerene Virgin often gave presentations about her great-great grandfather, Private Lewis Toliver. He served in the "All Coloured Militia" during the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837–38. He also helped build the Second Welland Canal. This work was a special project for the Ministry of Education.

Political Journey

Nerene Virgin also tried to enter politics. In 2007, she first thought about running in the federal area of Hamilton Mountain. However, she later decided not to.

Running for Office

She then chose to run for office in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek. Even though she lived outside that area, she was chosen as the candidate for the Ontario Liberal Party. This happened on July 31, 2007.

During her campaign, a local newspaper used a very hurtful and racist term to describe her. The paper later apologized for this. Nerene Virgin felt the apology was not enough. She suggested the paper should do more to fight racism. She later sued the newspaper group, and they settled the lawsuit.

In the election, Nerene Virgin finished second. She ran against Paul Miller from the New Democrat party.

Film and Television Roles

Nerene Virgin appeared in many films and TV shows throughout her career.

Selected Appearances

Awards and Recognition

Nerene Virgin received several awards for her work and contributions.

Notable Honors

On May 2, 2016, she was named one of Canada’s 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women. In February 2012, she received a Rev. John C. Holland Award for her professional achievements. This award was named after her great uncle, John Christie Holland. Nerene Virgin also received an Illuminesence Award in 2014.

When she was a teenager, Nerene Virgin was crowned Miss Sepia Toronto. She hoped this would lead her to compete in the Miss Canada Pageant. However, she was later told that, at that time, a Black girl would not be allowed to compete.