January 06, 2009

By: Andree Patenaude

What recognition could be better than seeing your face on a Wall of Fame?

How about being recognized by Alberta's major volunteer sector representatives on television and in print in addition to being inducted into the Volunteer Wall of Fame? To top it all off, a fabulous luncheon. Aravind Ganesh of and Youssef Zouhri are this years winners in the youth category of the Stars of Alberta Awards.

The Stars of Alberta Volunteer Awards fall on International Volunteer Day. International Volunteer Day is every December 5 and recognizes commitment of volunteers worldwide.

They were inducted into the Volunteer Wall of Fame on December 5, 2008 for their extraordinary community involvement and dedication.

To try to summarize the community involvement of these two volunteers would be difficult. They are both founders of their own organizations; they are living proof that every youth can make a difference. Aravind is founder of Students for International Friendship and Understanding (SIFU) and Citizens for Change (C4C,) and is a founding member of Youth Voice. Youssef seems to have a passion for planning events, and is co-founder of Action ALS and Team Help.

The recipients of these awards both know that no volunteer goes it alone, and recognize their families, schools, and mentors in pushing them towards being the super-youth that they are. They inspire the rest of us to make the same effort in being involved!

To read more about the Stars of Alberta awards, visit:

www.wildrosefoundation.ca/stars