Call for 2010 Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards

Since 1981, the prestigious Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards Program has recognized the best of Ontario’s youth. Coordinated by the Ontario Community Newspapers Association with the support of its 300+ member newspapers and our sponsors, the Junior Citizen Program is also wholeheartedly supported by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

Nominations may come from anyone in the community who wants to recognize a young person’s contribution to society. Nominations should document the activities of the nominee with letters, newspaper clippings, recommendations, photographs, etc.

Nominees from previous years who continue their noteworthy endeavours are eligible to be nominated again. New nomination forms and updated documentation are required.

Nominations will be accepted until November 30, 2010.

Nomination and supporting forms are available in both pdf and Microsoft Word formats. If you use the ‘Word’ format document you will be able to complete it on your computer, save it and email it to – jr.citizen@ocna.org, or you can fax or mail it to us. Each submission must include at least two supporting nominations.

Parents/Guardians must sign to acknowledge the PIPEDA policy.

Nomination forms are also available at, and completed forms may be returned to:

• The Ontario Community Newspapers Association,
  3050 Harvester Rd., Suite 103, Burlington, Ontario L7N 3J1, Tel: 905-639-8720, Ext. 228 · Fax: 905-639-6962 Email: jr.citizen@ocna.org
• Your local community newspaper office

Eligibility

Any resident of Ontario, aged 6 to 17 years, is eligible to receive an Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Award. Only individuals may be nominated.

Nominees may be involved in

• worthwhile community service;
• special young people who are contributing while living with a physical or psychological limitation;
• individuals who have performed acts of heroism or bravery in the past year;
• recipients may also be ‘good kids’ who show a commitment to make life better for others and do more than is normally expected of someone their age.

The Award

A committee of community newspaper publishers, editors, and our sponsors will select the award recipients from all nominations received.

Up to 12 individuals will be recipients of an award. Recipients and their families are invited to attend an awards ceremony in Toronto in March 2010. Final recipients will be announced on this web site on Friday, January 21, 2010.

NOTE: Final recipients will be required to submit photographs depicting their activities and achievements for reproduction associated with the program.

The Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards Program strives not only to recognize the dozen or so outstanding young people who will be the recipients of awards, but to also give recognition to hundreds of others who represent the ‘good kids’ we all know. To achieve this, everyone nominated receives a Certificate of Recognition from their local community newspaper.
 

Meet Past Recipients

Read about the 2009 Junior Citizens of the Year.
Read about the 2008 Junior Citizens of the Year.

Our Sponsors

Our goal to recognize outstanding young people in communities across Ontario would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. Our gratitude to them all.

Primary Sponsors

TD Community Giving: Making a Difference Together
Children’s health, literacy and education, and the environment are the three main areas of focus for TD’s community giving. Flagship programs within these areas include: TD Children’s Hospital Fund; TD Friends of the Environment Foundation; TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup; TD Canadian Children’s Book Week; TD Canada Trust Scholarships for Community Leadership; and the TD Summer Reading Club.

With support from customers and employees, TD is involved with a host of national, regional and local causes benefiting diversity, arts and culture and other community programs. In 2008, TD donated $35 million to more than 2,100 organizations across Canada.

For more information, please contact Lara Dias, TD Bank Financial Group, 416-982-4664, lara.dias@td.com.

Direct Energy: Helping Communities Help Each Other
In 2009, Direct Energy committed over $1.8 million in cash, product and service donations to charitable organizations across North America while raising an additional $325,000 for charitable causes through employee-led fundraisers. Our employees found new ways to partner with the non-profit sector to share skills and ideas and strive to make a difference by volunteering over 6,200 hours to initiatives in their local communities.

Direct Energy believes we have a responsibility to support the communities in which we live and work. By investing our resources, sharing our skills, knowledge and volunteering our time, we believe we can create valuable inter-connections and develop lasting corporate-community partnerships.

Direct Energy is a member of Volunteer Canada’s Corporate Council and supports our employees through a robust array of charitable programs such as Dollars for Doers, Matching Grants and our own Direct Energy Citizen of the Year Award.

For more information, please contact Joel Dykstra, Direct Energy, 416-590-3344, Joel.Dykstra@directenergy.com or visit www.directenergy.com.

Patron Sponsors
James Publishing Company
McLaren Press Graphics Ltd
Performance Printing
Temiskaming Printing Co.
Transcontinental Media
For more information on the Junior Citizens Awards, please contact Carla Alexander (905) 639-8720 ext. 239.