Local Youth Honoured by the Optimist Club of Brooklin

On Wednesday, April 9th, seven local youth were presented with Outstanding Youth Volunteer Awards at a Youth Appreciation Evening hosted by the Optimist Club of Brooklin. The event, a pizza dinner, held at the Brooklin Community Centre was attended by award recipients along with some of their friends and family, and in some cases, the people who had nominated the youth for an award.

Those receiving an award included:

• Courtney Callum, nominated by teacher Kathleen Bourne
• Matthew Zeppeiri, nominated by teacher Kathleen Bourne
• Brooke Douchette, nominated by Lisa Dinsmore
• John Gregg, nominated by Sarah Ashwood
• Adrianna Bronco, nominated by Maureen Jackson
• Evan Emanolidis, nominated by Lisa Jackson
• Sarah Hallard, nominated by Mary Lou and David Harrison

According to Optimist Club President Annette Cowan, “Sometimes just saying thanks is all it takes to encourage our local youth to offer their services to the community. We want these young people to know that their contribution isn’t going unnoticed. Each nominee received a citation and movie passes as part of their award.”

Youth appreciation projects are intended to make children feel important and highlight their positive contributions to society. Since 1956, this program has given Optimist Clubs the occasion to work with youth toward the common goals of education, career development, physical well-being, and community service. Youth Appreciation is designed to encourage a greater exchange of ideas between young people and adults. It is one of the organization’s most popular programs, with over 2,000 clubs participating last year.