Kawartha Lakes Youth Awards

Congratulations to the 2024 Award Winners and thank you to our sponsors and partners. You can read about our 2024 winners here.

Arts Achievement Winners

12-17: Caden & Cavan Mabee

Eight years ago in 2017, these two brothers were both cast as Oompa Loompas in the Fall Fundraising show, Willy Wonka. Since then, they’ve been involved in six different Flato Academy Theatre productions; The Little Mermaid, The Sound of Music, Seussical, James and the Giant Peach and The Wizard of Oz, and their roles have been both onstage and offstage.

While at Central Senior School, they each served as masters of ceremonies for events like Remembrance Day assemblies, Arts Gala nights and Holiday concerts. They both play several instruments, and have recently taken up songwriting. A song they composed called “You” earned third place in a local Singers and Songwriters contest, and have not only published it online but played it at the Pie Eyed Monk.

18-24: John Bolk

John is a multi-instrumentalist, proficient in piano, guitar and drums, with a deep passion for recording music. With this talent and passion, he plays an active role in various community initiatives. These include performing at the Flato Academy Theatre and cheering on others performing with less experience than him, fundraising for women’s shelters, offering comfort and engagement to seniors and those living with dementia, and many more.

He also inspires young minds at our youth centre. His dedication to promoting music in our drop-in programs has not only enriched the lives of countless youth but has also fostered a vibrant and creative community. He has organized music lessons during his employment with us but also outside too, providing a safe space for self-expression.

Outstanding Worker Winners

12-17: Eden Carter & William Latour

At the tender age of 14, William discovered his passion for lawn care. He started a post on a local Kawartha Lakes Facebook group in search of anyone looking to have their grass cut, he got a lot of responses in which he responded to each very professionally. The following summer, William was getting returning customers and he saved up some of his money for better equipment and treating it with the utmost care.

During the winter months, he volunteers with a Lindsay Police officer, Coach Kevin Walden for the Ontario Minor Hockey U9 and U11 teams. His enthusiasm for fire safety also led him to volunteer at the Little Britain Fire Hall open house, where he educated the public and children about fire prevention. Once William turns 18 he will apply to be a volunteer fire fighter in Little Britain.

Eden was nominated by two different people. One for her work at Browning Reptiles, friends of ours, and as a returning member of the Kawartha Lakes Youth Council.

She has been instrumental for initiatives carried out by the council in the past years. She’s always consistently at meetings and has excellent ideas to contribute to conversations. She has helped come up with and bring to life many ideas, like last year when the council put a group together to clean up Ken Reid Park, and deciding activities for the Teen Wellness Fair. She is a very cooperative and supportive person with a strong sense of responsibility.

And at Browning Reptiles, she is very diligent handler of the reptiles they have there. She goes above and beyond for the care and advocation of the animals. The owner of Browning Reptiles said of Eden, “She’s amazing. I have never had such an ambitious and caring person under my wing. She’s a staple here. I am thrilled.”

18-24: Bailey Bourque

Bailey has been employed with us since April of 2023 after graduating from Trent University with a Bachelor in Social Work. She came in at a time of change and poured all her energy into redesigning a program to meet the current needs of children and youth in our community.

Simultaneously, she took over the Youth Justice program, where she recruited and trained new program volunteers, who she now schedules and supervises. Bailey is a true team player; she is always open to supporting her fellow co-workers and works hard within the Club.

Humanitarian Winner

12-17: Avalon Loube

Avalon has been eager to do whatever she can to make people feel respected and deserving since a very young age.

She was once part of a drive to collect menstrual products for women who couldn’t afford them, and her rallying of the community and local businesses had her unit raise the most. She also volunteered at food banks.

Now, since starting high school, Avalon’s best involved in the Fenelon Falls Secondary School Social Justice Committee, bringing awareness to the entire school of the importance of recognition for marginalized groups. She regularly writes announcements for the beginning of school days to explain a day’s importance, and to encourage celebration of important events such as Truth & Reconciliation Day and Black History Month. She’s also part of the Connect Crew, which helps eighth graders get acquainted with the scary transition into high school.

She recently also had a friend who had back surgery and had specific requirements to make sure she didn’t harm herself, upon returning to school. Avalon carried her friend’s backpack every day, and she would leave class as quickly as possible and head straight for her friend every da to provide any required assistance.

STEM Winner

12-17: Julian Junkin

Julian works at Ampere, formerly Pinnguaq, as a Junior STEAM Educator, embodying the themes of this award in his day-to-day work, consistently demonstrating curiosity, innovation and a passion for discovery. He began as a summer camp counsellor, and he is now an educator inspiring the next generation.

Julian has taken the lead in planning and delivering Ampere’s after-school programming, including with robotics, coding, and multimedia programs that provide young learners with fun and practical experiences.

In addition, he commandeers Hackathons with local youth, Saturday drop-in sessions, summer camp leadership, and leads in teaching kids about 3D printing through the TinkerCad software.

Julian not only provides engaging, high-quality programming but also ensures that every learner feels supported and encouraged.

Health & Wellness Champion Winners

12-17: Sean Hayman & Karina Treiguts

Sean stays physically active and aware, and has continuously promoted this mindset in a world that he sees dominated by screens and electronics. At school he plays soccer, volleyball, basketball, badminton and Track & Field.

He’s also a member of the Peterborough Pacers Track and Field Club and the captain of the Local Boys U18 Rep Soccer team at the Kawartha Lakes Soccer Club. His captain position has allowed him to take on leadership roles with younger teams within the Kawartha Lakes Soccer Club, showing young kids the importance of staying active.

He also uses his voice to promote physical well-being at the Club, as a multi-time sports leader and summer camp counselor. There have been previous sports-related Specialty Camps in the summer, where he’s been called upon to lead.

Karina has played for the Weldon basketball, tennis and volleyball teams as well as the Wildcats Basketball rep team. She also horseback rides, has been a part of the Weldon Athletic Union and is co-chair of the Student Council this year. Despite being busy, with schoolwork and sports, she also spends time volunteering for the Girls House League program at the Lindsay Wildcats Basketball Association.

She has also been an integral part of the Weldon Wildcats community encouraging their younger female athletes to step up for basketball. The Wildcats’ girls house league has younger players between grades 3 to 8 and they look up to Karina tremendously. She is a mentor to their young players.

The one who nominated her said that, as a female who organizes sports in the Kawartha Lakes community, honouring players like Karina is a proud moment, and these are the types of kids who will continue to share their passion for years to come.

Leadership Winners

12-17: Fenelon Falls Youth Council – Avalon Loube, Ella Austin Scollick, Sofia Entzin-Telford, Cooper Young

These four have worked tirelessly to bring a new youth program to Fenelon Falls, demonstrating incredible dedication. They met monthly to collaborate on ideas and strategies for creating meaningful opportunities for Fenelon Falls Youth. They contributed numerous volunteer hours, attending meetings with both the Fenelon Falls Co-Op Committee and BGC employees, visiting proposed sites, and exploring program options.

They also actively contribute to the Grove Theatre, the Fenelon Falls Museum, their school council and many other initiatives. Even parents picking up their younger children have expressed admiration for these youth.

Individually, Avalon and Sofia sit on the Social Justice Club at Fenelon Falls Secondary School. They have put together several events and campaigns at the school such as organizing orang shirt day initiatives. Cooper and Ella were both leaders on the REACH team. Cooper and Sofia both hold leadership roles on the student union and have contributed greatly to the school and student experience. They lead meetings, delegate jobs, but never hesitate to jump in and do hard things or support others. They are well respected by their peers and always ensure students have a voice. Ella cares so much about our community, she is a frequent fixture at the museum and has been a leader in many ways.

Resiliency Winner

12-17: Ryan Fraser

Despite being thrown into countless challenges and facing numerous obstacles in his life, Ryan has grown into an exceptional young man. Ryan’s childhood differed from that of the average child, having to bounce between homes, but despite all he’s been through, he’s not lost hope or his sense of compassion.

Last year, Ryan was appointed by other young in the community as our Teen Centre’s Youth of the Year for his kindness and willingness to help others. He consistently assists youth in fixing their scooters and bikes when in need. Ryan is known for taking new youth under his wing when these youth visit our centre for the first time, giving them their first friend in it.

Ryan’s been enrolled in our Leaders-in-Training summer camp program for the last two summers, and in addition to completing 119 community service hours in just one summer, Ryan once had strep throat, and came in to ask for a sick day rather than calling in, because he didn’t have a phone, and took the initiative to work extra shifts to make up for this even though it was not required of him.

In spite of all the immense hardships Ryan has been through, he has persevered and has come out the other side a strong, outstanding young person.

BGC Club Spirit Winners

12-17: Alexa Shvedenkova

Alexa is one of the kindest and most respected people there. During youth council meetings, they always try their hardest to support others, including a time when a friend of theirs was too shy to speak up during a council meeting and they helped her get the idea out. Alexa also has taken the time to welcome people into our Club that have been nervous about first attending.

Alexa also helps out at the Club at various opportunities, helping with dishes without hesitation, clearing the table, sweeping, putting things away and so much more, even though it’s not asked of them. They really embolden compassion at the Club.

18-24: Riley Cunningham

Riley’s been a part of many of our summer camps, and has been in our soccer and basketball leagues. He’s also been a volunteer for us in our Leader-in-Training program and was hired as both a camp leader and soccer coach. He describes his experiences here at the Club as helping him with his athletic and social skills, which have apparently carried into other areas of his life. At Weldon where he went to school, he received several awards such as the Outstanding Work Ethic in Business award from Baker Tilly, which recognizes hard work, dedication and personal growth. At his graduation last June, he received the I.E. Weldon Business Department award, which is presented to a student who has excelled in multiple business courses over their high school career and has applied their knowledge and skills to real-world business contexts.

Last year in his final year of hockey, Riley was selected by the coaching staff to receive the Most Team Spirit Award, recognizing a player that has an all-around great attitude. he thanks us for helping his in these achievements, and we are incredibly humbled.

Scholarship Winners

Ron Kennedy Scholarship: Sean Hayman

While working at our Club, starting last year in April 2024, Sean has helped countless children have a positive experience by encouraging safety, relationship building, and most of all, fun. While he was a couch in the Outdoor Soccer program, he encouraged the children on his team to converse and build great relationships they could take off the field.

As a 2024 Summer Camp leader, he had more responsibility with a bigger group of kids and a longer time period. He had to rarely write incident reports or talk to supervisors about misbehaviours, and he feels this came from leading by example. As the summer progressed, he was offered the chance to be a Specialty Camp counsellor on multiple camps due to his effectiveness. He feels this came from coming into the job with a sense of initative, and positive attitude, and a willingness to try new things, and this won the children over.

Marcie Beall Scholarship: Grace Freitag

Grace is a Weldon student who has made Honour Role, the Principal’s List twice, and multiple subject awards. She is also going to McGill in the Fall to enter into the field of medicine and hopes this scholarship will alleviate some of the financial burden.

She has been a part of multiple awareness and fundraising initiatives to support the Lindsay Lynx Girls Hockey Association, as well as other volunteering opportunities, and learned through them about how the dedication of so many people is required to make these organizations accessible to local youth. Her participation in various extracurricular activities, including being a member of the Green Advocates, and a Grade 9 Link Leader, and being on the Girls Rugby Team, has helped her grow into a confident leader.

Here are our 2025 Award Sponsors:

• Arts Achievement: Sponsored by Kei-Lin Roofing Inc.
• Outstanding Worker: Sponsored by City of Kawartha Lakes Economic Development
• Humanitarian: Sponsored by Woodmizer
• STEM: Sponsored by Fleming College
• Leadership: Sponsored by Greg Evans Professional Corp.
• Resiliency: Sponsored by Ampere
• Health & Wellness Champion
• BGC Club Spirit: Sponsored by Rogers
• Ron Kennedy Scholarship Fund: Sponsored by the Kennedy Family
• Marcie Beall Scholarship Fund: Sponsored by the Beall Family

Our 2025 Speaker Sponsor: 

Launch Kawartha

You can find out more about the awards by going here.