Submitted by TOGETHER!
From 2001 to 2011, the annual Awards of Excellence showcased our community’s youth, providing them with deserved recognition as they use their talents and grow as individuals. TOGETHER! is pleased to announce that by popular demand and with support from Gateway Rotary and The Olympian, Awards of Excellence is returning in 2016! Thanks go to supporting partners as well: ESD 113 Capital Event Center, Forrey’s Forza and DZines.
Though many students are honored throughout the year for their academic or athletic achievements, many contributions that youth make to this community go unsung. Recognition is a prime factor in helping youth to feel supported and valued, as well as a vital part of creating a healthy community. The goal of the Awards of Excellence is to honor nontraditional leaders and those who have overcome adversity on their path to adulthood. By recognizing and rewarding youth in our community who have overcome barriers and are succeeding, this program helps to build their resilience and cheer them on to continue to grow into healthy and successful adults. This year’s Awards of Excellence aims to show youth, who may otherwise go without recognition, that they matter and that they are key players in our community.
In addition to the positive support that comes from recognition, youth who receive an Award of Excellence have something tangible to share in a college application, professional portfolio, resume or other roundup of accomplishments. They will be featured in The Olympian newspaper and publicly recognized at an award ceremony.
Receiving an Award of Excellence also can put eligible students in the running for a scholarship. The scholarships recipients will be selected from the pool of nominees by a panel of community members. Gateway Rotary will be awarding scholarships to youth who show exceptional commitment to volunteerism and service. Recipients of the “Service Above Self” scholarship will be selected by a panel of Gateway Rotarians. Scholarship funds are made possible through generous support from Gateway Rotary, TwinStar Credit Union, and others.
Youth may be nominated for an Award of Excellence through their school or by a community organization. Public middle schools and high schools in both Thurston and Mason County are eligible to nominate one student each. Community organizations, groups, and private schools are also eligible to nominate one youth (age 11-21) for consideration of a Community Star award. There will be five Community Star recipients, chosen by a panel of community members.
If you would like more information on Awards of Excellence or to find out how to nominate a youth, visit www.thurstontogether.org/events/aoe.html. Nominations are accepted through April 8 at this site.
Gateway Rotary presents funds to TOGETHER! to bring back Awards of Excellence in 2016.
