By Nicole Nixon, member of the Rotary Club of Creston
The Rotary Club of Creston likes to acknowledge and reward the fantastic youth that the Creston Valley has to offer. Due to these uncertain times with COVID-19, we as a club have not been able to properly acknowledge these great, community-driven youth as we normally would. So, we would like to introduce them to the community this way.
Kai Coleman was selected as our Student Of The Semester Award. Kai maintained the highest academic average for the semester, participates in basketball and is a positive role model in the school.
Andreas Kamp was selected to attend our Adventures in Citizenship program. He was ready to go to Ottawa for Adventures in Citizenship, learn how the government runs and witness firsthand a Canadian citizenship ceremony.
Due to COVID-19, the program was cancelled. Andreas came to our attention because he was such an active volunteer with the Creston Leos Club. His passionate letter on why he is proud to be Canadian made us confident that he was the right choice for this opportunity.
Last year at the Blossom Festival’s opening ceremonies, we planned to introduce Maria Maddess as Creston’s Junior Citizen of the Year. Maria, a grade 8 student at Prince Charles Secondary School, shows remarkable maturity and leadership skills.
She has been babysitting since she was 11, has been a member of the Girl Guides for the last five years and volunteered at several Rotary Club fundraisers. She is in the swim club, takes music lessons and tackles every problem with a positive attitude. She includes everyone, once staying behind to help a younger Girl Guide who was having problems on a five-hour hike.
When her family arrived at the scene of an accident, Maria calmly talked to the 911 operator while her parents helped the injured. To top it off, Maria gives homemade cakes to the nurses at the Creston Valley Hospital. Maria makes the world a little brighter.
Lastly, every year we award the Father Barnes Memorial Bursary to a deserving student who is headed to post-secondary education. This year’s recipient is Ashley Daignault. Ashley maintained a place on the honour roll for the last four years while staying heavily involved in sports. Furthermore, Ashley volunteered at the Erickson School breakfast program during her elementary years.
Congratulations to these amazing youth, from right here in our beautiful Creston Valley. I know we will be in good hands in the future.