NEWS RELEASE
VIMY RIDGE FOUNDATION
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Local Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute student Sarah Dykstra wins prestigious national Vimy Pilgrimage Award. Out of hundreds of applicants from across the country, Sarah, 16, was selected to participate in this Vimy Foundation program, which recognizes the actions of young people who demonstrate a commitment to volunteer work through outstanding service, positive contributions, notable deeds, and bravery.
The Vimy Pilgrimage Award consists of a fully funded, week-long educational program in France and Belgium to study Canada’s tremendous First World War effort.
Scheduled for April 2-10, 2018, the program will include interactive education and visits to significant First World War battlefields, cemeteries, and memorials including the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Sarah is one of 20 Canadian students who have been selected to explore our nation’s history abroad during the centennial year of the 1918 armistice.
Sarah spends much of her time volunteering in her community. She has been volunteering at the Village of Arbour Trails seniors' home, running a weekly program to help residents use their personal tech devices.
She is a member of the youth council of Ontario Nature; she has run a planting event in Guelph as part of the city’s 'Our Special Spaces' campaign, and helped plan the organization’s annual youth summit.
At school she helps Grade 9 students transition into high school, works with the Best Buddies program to support school community members with disabilities, and is a member of the Social Responsibility council.
This program is sponsored by Scotiabank. Scotiabank aims to support organizations that are committed to helping young people reach their infinite potential, and has been investing in Canadian communities for 185 years.
This program is also sponsored by Air Canada: The Battle of Vimy Ridge is an important, strategic moment in Canadian history and Air Canada is proud to support our youth and tomorrow’s leaders by sponsoring the 2018 Vimy Pilgrimage Award by allowing 20 exceptional teenagers from across Canada to learn and remember.
The Vimy Foundation is a charitable organization whose mission is to preserve and promote Canada’s First World War legacy, best symbolized with the victory at Vimy Ridge in April 1917. For more information about the Vimy Foundation and the Vimy Pilgrimage Award, please visit our website.
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