Students saluted at start of National Volunteer Week

April 20, 2023 · 0 Comments

York Region students are being celebrated for their community contributions on National Volunteer Week, which runs April 16 – 22.

On Monday, Neighbourhood Network announced recipients of the 2023 Give Back Awards, which provides bursaries for students in Aurora, King, Newmarket, Whitchurch-Stouffville and East Gwillimbury for their volunteer contributions both within and beyond their schools rather than strictly academic achievement.

“The Give Back Awards are all about celebrating the inspirational ways that local graduates donate their time to help others,” says Neighbourhood Network manager Erin Cerenzia. “These students spent most of their high school years in lockdown, yet they still collectively volunteered over 6,200 hours. It’s a true testament to each recipient’s character and commitment to building better communities.

This year’s recipients include:

Baran Aghdasi (Dr. G.W. Williams SS)

Mary Calleja (Sacred Heart CHS)

Eva Chima (ESC Renaissance)

Emily Faingold (Newmarket High School)

Rizwan Kazi (Aurora High School)

Sydney Love (King City Secondary School)

Abby Lunney (Dr. J.M. Dennison Secondary School)

Jewella Macabenta (Sacred Heart CHS)

Mekhi Rutherford (Stouffville District SS)

Nancy Shnoudeh (St. Maximilian Kolbe CHS)

Meghan Stewart (Huron Heights SS)

Shyam Subramanyam (Pickering College)

Anna Tamlin (Newmarket High School)

Aydin Visanji (Cardinal Carter CHS)

Christina Wang (Sacred Heart CHS)

Max Wong (Stouffville District SS)

Bruce Yu (Dr. G.W. Williams SS)

Emma Zabielski (Sutton District HS)

For more information about this year’s winners, visit www.nnetwork.org/GiveBackAwards, or check back for presentation coverage in next Thursday’s edition of The Auroran.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter