NEWS RELEASE
ROTARY CLUB OF GUELPH
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The Rotary Club of Guelph has great pleasure in announcing Elise Perreault as the winner of the 2016 Youth Award at the annual “Turtle Island Heritage Festival” in Wellington County.
The Award Certificate was accompanied by a $500 cheque from Rotary to help Elise further her education.
The Turtle Island Heritage Festival is an annual event hosted by the Wellington County Museum and Archives, in coordination with the Upper Grand District School Board and Wellington Catholic District School Board, the Grand River Métis Council, and other representatives from the community.
The purpose of the Festival is to celebrate the history and culture of First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) peoples in Wellington County and its surrounding communities.
Each April, the museum coordinates this wonderful celebration of FNMI art and culture, hosting both high school and elementary school groups to spend a day at the museum participating in interesting and informative workshops.
The organizing committee of the Turtle Island Heritage Festival is also tasked with selecting a student of FNMI ancestry to receive the Festival’s annual Youth Award for demonstrating leadership qualities in the community and in the promotion of FNMI culture.
The award was presented at the Festival on April 26, 2016.
Elise Perreault, this year’s Award Winner, is a grade 11 Odawa student attending Centre Wellington District High School in Fergus.
The teacher who nominated her for this award wished he was not limited to 250 words to praise her as a young and vibrant leader and role model to others, whether they are Indigenous or not.
The Rotary Club of Guelph is proud to honour exceptional students such as Elise, and sincerely hopes she will one day become a Rotarian as she continues to serve her community!
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