MANITOULIN—Manitoulin is blessed with many outstanding young members of the Island community who deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments and contributions and the 35th Annual Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards, coordinated by the Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA) of which The Expositor is a proud member, provides an ideal opportunity to recognize these exceptional young citizens.
The Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards recognize individuals between the ages of six and 17 (no older than 17 by the November 30 deadline) who are working hard to make their community a better place by volunteering for various organizations, making donations, saving lives and maintaining top grade averages.
The Expositor urges members of the community to nominate these young people of Manitoulin in one of the five areas of the award: a person involved in worthwhile community service; a special young person contributing to their community while living with a physical or psychological limitation; an individual who has performed an act of heroism in the past year; excellence in achievement, such as the arts or athletics; and just good kids who show a commitment to make life better for others and who do more than is normally expected of someone of their age.
Twelve nominees will be selected as final recipients of the provincial award and will be invited to a special ceremony to be held in the spring of 2016 in Toronto.
Any young person nominated for the award will be personally presented with a certificate of recognition and will have their contribution showcased in The Expositor.
Among past Manitoulin honourees are Chris Purvis, who was a 1991 finalist and recipient of the award for saving his friend from an icy creek; Daisy Hore of Gordon, nominated for her act of bravery in saving her sister when their snowmobile went through the ice in March of 2005; Elyse Labelle of Honora Bay, who was named as one of the 2007 finalists; Eden Beaudin of M’Chigeeng, founder of the Pegasus Literary Writing Award nominated in 2008; Janelle Addison of Gore Bay who was nominated in 2009; Cassandra McColman, Tanya Aelick and Janelle Addison who were each recognized for their contributions in 2010; Kristina Renwick of Little Current has been chosen as Manitoulin’s nominee for the 2011; and Blake Priddle of Espanola, who has Manitoulin family connections nominated in 2012.
The Manitoulin Expositor also recognized Skylar Trimmer (aged six at the time) in 2005 for his efforts in saving his father’s life, although Skylar (who was nominated by Les Fields of Manitowaning) was a year too young to make the official shortlist for the provincial award, he most certainly was deserving of recognition for keeping his head at such a young age and saving a life through his heroic efforts.
The Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards are sponsored by the TD Bank Group and the Insurance Bureau of Canada, along with the OCNA.
The nomination deadline for the 2014 Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards is November 30 and nomination forms are available at www.ocna.org/juniorcitizen, by calling the OCNA at 905-639-8729, extension 221, or contacting The Expositor at 705-368-2744.
