On Saturday, March 23, contestants and their families joined us to compete in our annual public speaking contest. We heard inspiring speeches from our Oratorical Contestants on this year’s topic “How to Change the World with Optimism.” Contest finalist were Nicole, Jasmine and Adina, with Nicole moving on to the Midwestern Ontario District contest.
Following the Oratorical Contest speeches, our Essay Contest winner read her Essay on the 2024 topic, “Optimism: How It Connects Us.” Essay contest finalists were Marina, Aaban and David, with Marina’s essay moving on for judging at the Midwestern Ontario District contest.
Since 1957, Optimist Clubs have recognized youth for their talents in the arts, athletics, academics, and contributions to the community. These extraordinary individuals demonstrate qualities such as exceptional leadership, selflessness, courage and sincere devotion to the welfare of others.
For over 25 years, the Optimist Club of Waterloo North has had the pleasure of recognizing over 250 youth for their personal and/or community achievements.
Join us in congratulating the recipients on their 2023 Youth Appreciation Awards. We also thank each of the individuals who nominated a young person. Please read their stories below:
Sophie
Mrs. Wentworth nominated Sophie for her classroom leadership, saying…
“I have had the pleasure of teaching Sophie for the past two years. From the moment she entered my classroom in the fall of 2021, she has been a shining example of dedication, kindness and perseverance. Sophie has taken on numerous roles in the classroom, around the school and in her own community, all while maintaining excellent grades, strong peer relationships and involvement in extracurricular activities. She consistently goes above and beyond in all aspects of her life, taking on additional roles and responsibilities. Sophie has volunteered for numerous positions within the school, including lunchroom helper, pizza helper, nutrition for learning helper and morning announcer. She is also willing to step in at a moment’s notice to help her teachers and peers with tasks large and small. Sophie is the first to volunteer, often giving up her breaks to lend a helping hand. She is trustworthy, reliable, and she demonstrates strong leadership skills.
“Sophie’s compassion is evident in all that she does. She has a strong sense of equity and strives to include all of her classmates. Her kindness and compassion have a positive impact on her peers, who often seek her out for help. Sophie’s caring nature also extends beyond her school community to her neighbourhood. During the summer, Sophie organizes a camp for children in her area, planning various activities for children from ages 5-8. She is also highly involved in her gymnastics club.
“Sophieis also a remarkable student, consistently striving to do her very best by putting 110% into her work. She shows genuine care for each learning opportunity and is eager to learn new things. Always asking how she can improve, Sophie takes feedback from her teachers with enthusiasm and eagerly applies it. I can think of no one more deserving of receiving recognition for all her hard work and dedication to her classroom, school and community.”
Jenna
Mrs. Wentworth nominated Sophie for her classroom leadership, saying…
“I have had the pleasure of teaching Jenna for the 2022-2023 school year. Jenna’s kind and caring nature is an asset to our classroom. Over the course of her grade 6 year, she has taken on numerous roles in the classroom, around the school and in her own community, all while maintaining excellent grades, positive peer relationships and involvement in extracurricular activities. Jenna is also willing to help at a moment’s notice, often sacrificing her own break time to do so. She is trustworthy, reliable and she possesses strong leadership skills. Jenna selflessly volunteers her time all while maintaining excellent grades and involvement in extracurricular activities.
“Jenna consistently goes above and beyond what is expected. She has volunteered for numerous positions around the school, including lunchroom helper, safety patroller, office helper, pizza and nutrition for learning helper and morning announcer. She is committed to each role and has shown excellent commitment to each one.
“Jenna displays a maturity far beyond her 12 years. Her genuine concern for her classmates and peers encourages others to follow her example. Jenna is the first to include new students into her group and she will often seek out partnerships that allow her to work with a wide variety of her classmates. The patience and kindness she shows to her classmates is unmatched.
“Jenna strives to do her best with each new learning activity. She’s not afraid to take risks with her learning and she will often present a unique perspective on topics. She is fully engaged in the classroom activities and this is reflected in her excellent grades and learning skills.
“I could think of no one more deserving than Jenna to receive recognition for her kindness, involvement and dedication to her school community.”
Austin
Kirsten Carr and Craig Smith from Strong Start Charitable Organization nominated Austin with Kirsten writing:
“Optimist Club of Waterloo North’s Youth Appreciation opportunity has given me the chance to nominate our devoted volunteer, Austin. Strong Start welcomed Austin as a volunteer in 2016, when he was 14 years old. At the time, I was working with him, personally as an IBI Autism Therapist, assisting his social and academic growth. His family and I felt that the volunteer opportunity with Strong Start Charitable Organization, would connect him to other volunteers and staff, while providing support for his social development. This position gave him something to do in the summer and supported Strong Start’s need for consistent volunteers. In addition, it assisted with learning what he was capable of in a work type environment.
Austin volunteered every summer throughout high school, continuing to volunteer two times a week, since his graduation. He has participated in many distinct volunteer roles at Strong Start, most recently in our National Program Deployment Centre in Waterloo. He gave the gift of his time every summer, supporting kit checking for the Get Ready for School™ and the Letters, Sounds and Words™ programs. During COVID, Austin assisted Strong Start and the Get Ready for School program by assembling materials for our At-Home program.
Currently, Austin supports all three Strong Start programs. His work includes assembly of Baby Connection® participant bags, Get Ready for School activity bags and Letters, Sounds and Words materials. This includes the unpacking and sorting of thousands of activity and game pieces, assembling activity bags, washing toys, label and stuffing envelopes during our annual holiday mailer and regularly prepares the mailouts for our online trained Volunteers. He has also taken on the management of our weekly recycling and breaking down all cardboard.
Austin is excellent at sorting, labelling bags and assembling materials. He is friendly, reliable, dedicated, and independent. He is confident in his abilities, polite and he always has a smile on his face when he is here. He is known by everyone and has made significant strides in conversing with others in the office. He is an integral part of the Strong Start Volunteer team, and his continued commitment provides support for staff to work on other tasks. He is an important part of the 750 in 750 campaign team, providing much needed support for the Letters, Sounds and Words rapid expansion through his work unpacking materials and assembling activity bags that will go into the Kits for schools throughout Ontario.
Volunteering has provided Austin with a meaningful position, where he can find value, a sense of belonging and appreciation for his many talents. He is a welcomed addition to the workday, whenever he is in the office.
In 1893, with a growing population, our community was in need of a genuine advance in medical care. The Seagram family came forward to offer 95 acres of land upon which a hospital could be built, but only if our community members could fully fund the cost of building the hospital before the first brick or beam was laid.
Our community rallied, and an incredible number of supporters each made modest gifts of 25 cents to 50 dollars to collectively raise $12,000 for this new hospital. Together in 1895, our predecessors built what has become Grand River Hospital out of their generosity, philanthropy and belief in each other and in this remarkable community.
Now more than 125 years later, we are counting on our community to come together once more in support of Grand River’s vision of a world class health system supporting healthier lives: one that is among the best in the world in terms of experience for the people we serve and our teams, health outcomes, and sustainability as a system.
This vision is bigger than just our hospital as we are only one of the many contributors to health care that serve our community. Our health system is interconnected, so to reach world class, every one of us will need to rise to the occasion, and our aspiration is to, once again, rally the members of our communities to bring forth much needed advances in health care, infrastructure and innovation.
Our vision may be ambitious, but when we come together, we can accomplish so much more than we ever could alone—that’s why, as a part of this goal, we aspire to create meaningful partnerships with service clubs of all kinds that are aligned with supporting our community’s health and wellness. With a shared passion for and commitment to creating positive, long-lasting change in our community, service clubs and their members are exactly the type of partners we want working alongside us as we make this vision a reality together.
We truly count on dedicated supporters like our local service club members to give their time as fundraisers, volunteers and champions for our cause, and with communities responsible for funding all of the equipment in our hospitals along with a significant portion of construction and capital costs, we each have an important role to play and a responsibility to one another to ensure the highest quality of care right here, in the places where we work and live, for everyone who needs it. Our health system ultimately impacts all of us, and we want our health system to be shaped by the people it serves so that it reflects the diversity and meets the needs of our community, not only for all of us but for all of the generations yet to come.
To get involved and learn more about how you can support our vision for a world class health system right here, led by Grand River Hospital, Grand River Hospital Foundation and our Care Never Stops Campaign, please visit our website atcareneverstops.ca.
Editor’s Note: The Optimist Club of Waterloo North was fortunate to have representatives from the Grand River Hospital Foundation speak at a recent dinner meeting. The work that the foundation and hospital are doing in preparing for the future are truly inspiring. In alignment with the Optimist International motto “Friend of Youth,” we would like to highlight how they care for the younger members of our community (see grandriverkids.ca). Please consider supporting them to make the vision a reality.
On Saturday, March 3, contestants and their families dug themselves out from a winter storm to gather for our annual contest. We heard inspiring speeches from our Oratorical Contestants, making for difficult decisions for the Judges. This year’s topic for the speeches was “Discovering the Optimism within Me.”
Following the Oratorical Contest speeches, our Essay Contest winner read her Essay on the 2023 topic, “Who is an Everyday Hero that Brings Out the Optimism in You?” .
Congratulations to all our participants and good luck to the contestants moving on to represent our club at the Zone and District contests… Aileen, Felipe and Aaban.
Since 1957, Optimist Clubs have recognized youth for their talents in the arts, athletics, academics, and contributions to the community. These extraordinary individuals demonstrate qualities such as exceptional leadership, selflessness, courage and sincere devotion to the welfare of others.
The Optimist Club of Waterloo North has had the pleasure of hosting Youth Appreciation events for over 25 years. Well over 250 youth have received recognition from our club for their personal and/or community achievements.
Join us in congratulating the recipients on their 2022 Youth Appreciation Awards. We also thank each of the community organizations who nominated a young person. Please read their stories below:
Caring Neighbour
Sam
Nevena Vlacic pictured with Sam, her nominee for a Youth Appreciation Award. Nevena shared:
“As soon as I saw the post for youth appreciation nomination I thought of Sam. I typically see Sam on the way to school to drop off my kids or when I’m coming back. Whenever I do pass him he will acknowledge you by greeting you, and will continue on with a small talk like : ‘How are you today? How is your day? Have a good day today.’ His presence and interaction sends out a positive vibe that always leaves me smiling and thinking ‘wow what a great kid and how amazing it is that he will make small talk with an adult neighbour who he mostly sees just in passing’. I see and know many other kids in the neighborhood but no one gives out the presence of care, respect and friendliness like Sam does. I strongly believe he deserves this nomination.”
Food4Kids Waterloo Region
Callie
Kim Mervyn nominated Callie for her work with Food4Kids Waterloo Region, saying…
“Callie is a caring and thoughtful volunteer who has a heart for social justice in our community. She has been a volunteer for a few years, helping assemble food bags for children who live with chronic hunger from food insecure homes. Highly motivated to help those in need, including many children her own age, she took the initiative and was the driving force behind a food drive. Using leadership and organizational skills, she reached out to many contacts and collected 560 items, one of the biggest food drives this year. It is a great honour to work alongside someone who has such empathy and awareness at a young age.”
The Ripple Effect Education
Caitlin
Katie Gingerich from The Ripple Effect Education nominated Caitlin with the following comments:
“It is my honour to nominate Caitlin for the Optimist Club of Waterloo North’s Youth Appreciation Award. I first met Caitlin in June 2021 when she became a participant in the Peace Innovators Scholarship and Mentoring Program at the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement in Waterloo, Ontario. I have known her to be an engaged and creative innovator who seeks to solve problems with critical thought.
“As a current participant in the Peace Innovators program, Caitlin has taken initiative to research the impact of mental health stigma in her high school community and has launched The Bucket List Project to bring attention to mental health resources available to youth and to initiate positive conversations about mental health. She has taken great initiative and has engaged in equity-centered community design to explore the root causes of mental health stigma and design a solution in response.
“Caitlin is an exceptional young person who I wholeheartedly recommend for this award. In addition to being a creative innovator, she is a strong communicator who advocates for the people and causes she believes in. Knowing her tenacity and vision, investing in Caitlin means making a difference in her community for years to come.”
The Ripple Effect Education
Mackenzie
Katie Gingerich from The Ripple Effect Education nominated Mackenzie with the following comments:
“It is my honour to nominate Mackenzie for the Optimist Club of Waterloo North’s Youth Appreciation Award. I first met Mackenzie in June 2021 when she became a participant in the Peace Innovators Scholarship and Mentoring Program at the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement in Waterloo, Ontario. I have known her to be a thoughtful and hardworking leader who strives to create positive change in her community.
“As a current participant in the Peace Innovators program, Mackenzie has taken initiative to research the impact of mental health stigma in her high school community and has launched The Bucket List Project to bring attention to mental health resources available to youth and to initiate positive conversations about mental health. She has taken great initiative and has engaged in equity-centered community design to explore the root causes of mental health stigma and design a solution in response.
“Mackenzie is an exceptional young person who I wholeheartedly recommend for this award. In addition to being an effective leader, she is a strong community builder, who excels at bringing people together and creating inclusive spaces for youth to gather and thrive. Knowing her tenacity and vision, investing in Mackenzie means making a difference in her community for years to come.”
Congratulations again to these deserving young leaders!
Despite some ominous clouds to start the day, the weather on Saturday morning was perfect for the return of our Bike Rodeo in the Christ Lutheran Church parking lot. Participants had the opportunity to practice their bicycle handling skills in a fun environment. Snacks were available and each participant received a personalized certificate of completion.
Thank-you to everyone who came out. A special shout-out to the following supporters:
At a recent Optimist Club dinner meeting, we were fortunate to hear the story of the Sunshine Foundation of Canada. As a club we are happy to support their mission.
For more than 30 years, The Sunshine Foundation of Canada has been a pioneer and innovator in helping children and youth living with severe physical disabilities look past barriers and reach for their personal goals by making dreams come true. A Sunshine Dream is an individual experience, dreamed by a Sunshine dreamer and fulfilled by a dedicated DreamTeam. These experiences are as unique as the kids who dream them and often include family members in the celebration of this once-in-a-lifetime customized dream.
Before the pandemic, the children and youth that Sunshine served (ages 7 – 17) were at a 51% greater increase of developing mental health challenges. The pandemic has only worsened this statistic and now more than ever, these kids need a special event or experience to look forward to. These events often boost a dreamer’s self confidence, self esteem, and physical health and give a new sense of independence. Some dreams have even contributed to a vision of a career optimizing their new skills.
Last year alone, Sunshine was able to complete 51 dreams and change the lives of children and youth across the country. These dreams ranged from adaptable bikes and off-road wheelchairs, virtually meeting celebrities, bedroom makeovers, new gaming consoles, laptops and phones, language learning opportunities to so much more!
For 2022, Sunshine plans on fulfilling over 52 dreams to change more lives. For more information about Sunshine, completed dreams, upcoming events, and how to donate, please visit their website at www.sunshine.ca.
It was nice to be back in-person for our 2022 Contest Day. We heard inspiring speeches from our Oratorical Contestants, making it a difficult time for the Judges. This year’s topic for the speeches was “Staying Optimistic in Challenging Times.”
Following the Oratorical Contest speeches, our Essay Contest winner read her Essay on the 2022 topic, “How Does an Optimistic Mindset Change My Tomorrow?” .
Congratulations to all our participants and good luck to the contestants moving on to represent our club at the Zone and District contests… Chloe, Jasmine and Marina.
Essay winner reading her entry2022 Oratorical Speaker2022 Oratorical Speaker2022 Oratorical Speaker2022 Oratorical SpeakerTimekeeper ready to start the clock.Judges paying close attention
Since 1957, Optimist Clubs have recognized youth for their talents in the arts, athletics, academics, and contributions to the community. These extraordinary individuals demonstrate qualities such as exceptional leadership, selflessness, courage and sincere devotion to the welfare of others.
The Optimist Club of Waterloo North has had the pleasure of hosting Youth Appreciation events for over 25 years. Well over 250 youth have received recognition from our club for their personal and/or community achievements.
Not even a pandemic could keep the youth of Waterloo Region from getting out and helping their neighbours. 2021 saw a record number of youth nominated for the Optimist 2021 Youth Appreciation awards. 18 phenomenal youth stepped up in their community to help. This year also saw an increase in “Team” work with three sibling teams. With COVID-19 restrictions in place, it was a great benefit to have members of the same family work together in the same bubble.
We congratulate the recipients on their 2021 Youth Appreciation Awards. We also thank each of the community organizations who nominated a young person. Please read their stories below:
Wissler Old Abbey Neighbourhood Association
Sophie
Linda Barretto-Burns nominated Sophie for helping to bring her neighbourhood together during these “social distancing times.” Linda shared:
“Sophie is a force to be reckoned with. Last year, Sophie created daily activities for neighbourhood families for a “Countdown to Christmas” event. She divided the participants into teams, recruited captains and made a scoring system with daily results posted to our neighbourhood Facebook page. This task demanded her creativity, organizational skills, enthusiasm, dedication and perseverance. It is rare to have a high school student confident and organized enough to carry out such a project. Sophie also created a report on the event’s success and submitted it to the City to share and inspire other neighbourhoods. In the end, 26 families participated, making new connections. Plus, 91 pounds of food was donated to the local food bank.
“It is a difficult task in this social climate for a young person to create something for people she does not know and where many are being stressed about interacting with others in the community. Sophie was able to do so by being her authentic self, allowing newcomers to feel connected while staying safe. It was a Christmas miracle.
“Since Christmas, Sophie created a cooking class for children in the neighbourhood during the April School Break. The girl does not stop. Her enthusiasm is infectious. I am excited to nominate Sophie for the Optimist Youth Appreciation Award; we have certainly continued to appreciate her efforts as a neighbourhood.”
Girl Guides
Grace
Kris McGee nominated Grace for her work with many different Girl Guide units, saying…
“Grace brings a bright energy to our Pathfinder unit and compassion for her peers and Guide leaders. She has been a helper for a Sparks & Brownie Unit for over four years, assisting with meetings both in-person and virtually. She has also given up weekends to help run camps and has participated in many service projects.
“Outside of Girl Guides, Grace is an active member of a synchronized skating team, with which she medaled at a Provincial competition and then went on to compete at a National competition. Grace continued to show her dedication to all of these extra-curricular activities, despite the diagnosis of her Dad’s illness in 2019 and his later passing in 2020.”
The Ripple Effect Education (TREE)
Katie Gingerich nominated three youth who she has worked with through the Peace Innovators Scholarship and Mentoring Program. “It’s inspiring to watch them learn and grow,” said Katie Gingerich of TREE (The Ripple Effect Education). “It is an honour to nominate them.”
Hana
“Hana is a dedicated and enthusiastic activist in her community. I have gotten to know Hana through the Peace Innovators Scholarship and Mentoring Program. She has addressed racism in her school community by organizing an anti-racism conference for educators at Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School.
“In addition to her participation in the Peace Innovators, Hana is an active participant in her community. In addition to an impressive amount of community volunteering positions, Hana is involved at her school in the environment club, the Optimist club, social justice club, leadership, food drive and fundraising initiatives for the food bank, toy drives, and school equipment. Hana led the Give 30 food drive for Ramadan and has shared her experience as a Muslim girl in Canada at the WRDSB Iftar and dinner. Hana is an inspiring young person with charisma and drive.”
Jennifer
“Jennifer L. is a driven young person committed to making spaces safer and more equitable for members of the LGBTQ+ community. I have gotten to know Jennifer in the Peace Innovators Scholarship and Mentoring Program. She developed an extensive set of educational resources to debunk harmful stereotypes and build supportive language for the LGBTQ+ community.
“In addition to her activism in the Peace Innovators program, Jennifer is a member of her school’s art club, science club, Gay-Straight Alliance, and Fed-Prov. In her community, she has participated in Model UN and is an avid artist and writer. It has been inspiring to watch Jennifer learn and grow this year as an ally and advocate.”
Marina
“Marina W is an enthusiastic young woman who is deeply committed to enacting social change in her community. I have gotten to know Marina in the Peace Innovators Scholarship and Mentoring Program, where I serve as her program mentor. In the program, Marina has developed an initiative, Post Education, which supports youth in low socio-economic households’ access to post-secondary funding information.
“Marina is also an active participant in her school community at Waterloo-Oxford DSS. She is a member of the Student Activities Council’s Charities Committee, the chapter head for the Believe Initiative, and a member of Students Without Borders. This organization raises funds and awareness of local, national and global issues. She has won multiple skating awards and has volunteered over 300 hours to help children learn to skate. It has been a pleasure to get to know Marina and work for change alongside her.”
Social Venture Partners (SVP) Waterloo Region
Maddie
Jill Mills nominated Maddie for her work with Social Venture Partners and the excellent work this organization does, making a difference in Waterloo Region. Jill comments:
“Maddie has been a strong voice in youth activism, social development and philanthropy from a very young age. She did her first TedX talk on the topic of helping marine life at the age of 9! She is a Co-Chair of SVP’s youth leadership program, SVP Teens. Through SVP Teens, Maddie brings together 60+ passionate youth (grades 7 – 12) to identify issues in our community and work towards solving them.
“Throughout the year, she guides youth to embrace diverse volunteer opportunities, connects with community leaders, holds multiple fundraisers, and ultimately awards a financial grant to a local charity (this year’s value is $6,000-$8,000). Her passion for making a difference in her community and the world is evident in her role as Chair at SVP Teens. Maddie’s accomplishments are due to her compassionate, kind and ‘dream big’ nature, which has made her a very impressive youth leader in Waterloo Region.”
Food4Kids Waterloo Region
Food4Kids was a familiar volunteer role for many of our recipients. Known as “Bin Jockeys,” these youth would clean and move the bins and greet the drivers as they arrived. Their duties also included packing bags and organizing a variety of food for the children. Jennifer Birnstihl sponsored the following youth, saying “all the kids take great pride in their work. They do whatever task they are asked to do.”
Ashleigh & Kyler
“Ashleigh and Kyler have been dedicated brother-sister volunteers taking on multiple roles here at Food4Kids Waterloo Region, especially during the early days of COVID 19. Between the start of COVID in March 2020 and the end of June, Ashleigh and Kyler assisted in various tasks as needed in the Food4Kids WR office since no outside volunteers were permitted. As my son and daughter, they were allowed to come in since they were ‘in my bubble.’ They helped assemble 200 PPE visors (working along with their older sister) and took on the role of our food packers, putting together the food bags for our children when no one else could, getting the job done.
“They helped move food around and organize and clean bins as needed throughout this challenging time. Ashleigh and Kyler are polite helpers and have taken on a variety of tasks to support our kids. They have done an occasional ride-along with their older sister helping make food deliveries to our family’s homes and schools, unloading and moving food around our warehouse. They work hard bagging, sealing and counting and organizing and sorting various food for our kids and working around the office.
“They will be volunteering for the summer of 2021 and have a good work ethic, and no matter which tasks they are asked to take on and take great pride in their work here, helping feed the hope of children.”
Avery
“Avery has been a dedicated volunteer taking on multiple roles here at Food4Kids Waterloo Region over the past year. She juggles and plans her work schedules around her volunteer roles here and has taken on a leadership role on both our Afternoon Pack Crew and our Friday Morning Bin Jockey Crew helping get out food bins to our drivers. On Thursdays, she has an important role in our food packing line handling and processing all the food bags in our Back End Crew. On Fridays, Avery works hard coordinating our food bins on their routes and keeps carts organized.
“Avery is mature, pleasant and hard working. She greets our volunteer drivers with a smile and takes on a supervisory role keeping things on track and organized throughout this busy morning. She has also lent her time making food deliveries to family’s homes and schools when needed. She brings a positive attitude and good work ethic with her no matter which task she takes on and takes great pride in her work here, helping feed the hope of children.”
Charlie
“Charlie has been a dedicated volunteer taking on multiple roles here at Food4Kids Waterloo Region over the past year. He has taken on a regular role as a bulk food bagging crew member on alternate Wednesdays, working with his Mom. They work hard bagging, sealing and counting and organizing various foods for our children, including cereal and bread items.
“Charlie is polite and pleasant and works hard whenever he is here. He is willing to help us do whatever is needed and works hard with a smile and a positive attitude. Over this past year, he has also lent his time making food deliveries to our family’s homes and schools, unloading and moving food around our warehouse, and helping load vehicles for our drivers on days when we are short-handed. He has a good work ethic, and no matter which task he takes on, he takes great pride in his work here, helping feed the hope of children.”
Charlotte
“Charlotte has been a dedicated volunteer here at Food4Kids Waterloo Region over the past year. In addition to completing her final year of her college program at Conestoga College, she has taken on various jobs helping us. In addition to pitching in with packing food bins all summer, assembling PPE during the start of COVID, she continues to lend her creative talents to help us create various promotional videos for our organization.
“Between the start of COVID in March 2020 and the end of June, she assisted in various tasks as needed in the Food4Kids WR office since outside volunteers were not permitted. As my daughter, she was allowed to come in since she was ‘in my bubble.’ She helped assemble 200 PPE visors (working with her brother and sister) and would come in to help pack food bags for our children as needed to get the job done. In the summer of 2020, she volunteered every Wednesday for nine weeks as a part of our Summer Food Packing Crew, carefully packing the contents of our summer food bins, making sure they were ready for delivery and helping keep things organized.
“Charlotte is a quiet, hard worker who works with a smile. She is willing to do whatever is needed and puts her best efforts with a smile and a positive attitude. She continues to help us with various jobs, including setting up a silent auction, website updates and marketing-related tasks, and decorating our new office. She takes great pride in his work here, helping feed the hope of children.”
Claire
“Claire F. has been a dedicated volunteer here at Food4Kids Waterloo Region over the past year. In addition to completing her final year of her college program at Conestoga College, she worked in packing food bins all summer. For nine weeks during the summer of 2020, she volunteered every Wednesday as a part of our Summer Food Packing Crew, carefully packing the contents of our summer food bins, making sure they were ready for delivery and helping keep things organized.
“Claire is a bubbly, hard worker who works with a smile. She is willing to do whatever is needed and puts her best efforts with a smile and a positive attitude. She takes great pride in his work here, helping feed the hope of children.”
Eva & Josh
“Eva & Josh have been dedicated brother-sister volunteers taking on multiple roles here at Food4Kids Waterloo Region over several years. They regularly assist as part of our Bulk Food Bagging Crew members on alternate Wednesdays (when their cohort allows), working with their Mom. They work hard bagging, sealing and counting and organizing various foods for our children, including cereal and bread items.
“Eva and Josh are polite, enthusiastic helpers and have taken on various tasks to support our kids. Last summer, together, they did a great job running the pick-ups and sales at a special ‘flower sale fundraiser’ we held on-site. Over this past year, they have on occasion done a ‘ride-along with their Mom helping make food deliveries to our family’s homes and schools, unloading and moving food around our warehouse, helping at our evening pack nights.
“Josh has a fun outgoing spirit and is a really good sport. He has enthusiastically donned his inflatable T-Rex costume on several occasions to add to the fun and excitement at special events and to give our volunteers a smile.
“Eva and a friend from school ran a ‘loose change drive fundraiser’ at their school two years ago, bringing in an incredible $1000 to feed “One Child” for an entire year.
“They will be volunteering for the summer of 2021 and have a good work ethic, and no matter which tasks they are asked to take on and they take great pride in their work here, helping feed the hope of children.
Evelyn
“Evelyn has been a dedicated volunteer here at Food4Kids Waterloo Region over the past year. She worked diligently as a key part of our Thursday evening pack night crew for many months keeping things on track and organized throughout the evening. She has also lent her time for other projects throughout the year, including our summer and COVID packs.
“She brings a positive attitude and good work ethic with her and takes great pride in her work here, helping feed the hope of children.”
Hayley
“Hayley has been a dedicated volunteer here at Food4Kids Waterloo Region over the past year. She has taken on a regular role as a bulk food bagging crew member on alternate Wednesdays, working with her Mom. They work hard bagging, sealing and counting and organizing various foods for our children, including cereal and bread items.
“Hayley is a quiet, hard worker who works with a smile. She works hard, helping us do whatever is needed and works hard with a smile and a positive attitude. Over this past year, she has also lent her time helping us with various jobs when needed. She has a good work ethic, and no matter which task she takes on, she takes great pride in her work here, helping feed the hope of children.”
Shea & Blythe
“Shea & Blythe have been dedicated volunteers here at Food4Kids Waterloo Region over the past year. In addition to juggling other part-time jobs and volunteer positions, they took turns packing food bins all summer long. For nine weeks during the summer of 2020, they volunteered on Wednesdays as a part of our Summer Food Packing Crew (teamed up with their grandma Gaye Karges – another great volunteer!). They carefully packed the contents of our summer food bins, making sure they were ready for delivery and helping keep things organized.
“Blythe and Shea are hard workers wearing a smile on their faces to get the job done. They have put their best efforts weekly with a smile and a positive attitude and showed great pride in their work here, helping feed the hope of children.”
Congratulations again to these deserving young leaders!
Are you an aspiring author? Or perhaps enjoy public speaking?
The Optimist Club of Waterloo North is looking for local students to participate in our annual Essay Contest and/or Oratorical Contest for the 2020-21 school year.
Students in our area are being invited to showcase their writing and/or public speaking skills in our upcoming virtual events to be held in early 2021.
Contestants will participate in a club-level contest and local winners move on to compete at higher levels where scholarships are awarded to winners. Up to $25,000 in scholarships are available within Optimist International.
Topics for this year’s contests are below. Click on the contest buttons for more details and application forms.
Optimist Club of Waterloo North 