SPONSORED BY WESTERN FOREST PRODUCTS
Jaylon Grenier has lived on the North Island for 17 years, his entire life so far, and he began volunteering for community causes at a very young age.
He has been involved in the annual North Island Gazette Hamper Fund since he was eight or nine-years-old, helping his mother (former North Island Gazette Publisher Sandy Grenier) with the project every single year.
“The older I got the more useful I became, from building hampers to delivering them,” said Grenier, adding the most rewarding part of volunteering for the hamper fund is “seeing the smile on the recipient’s faces as they are given the food hampers at their front door. Christmas can be a tough time for people and this hamper makes a big difference to those in need.”
Grenier has also participated in youth soccer since he was six-years-old, which is one of his biggest passions.
Playing in the Port Hardy Youth Soccer league eventually led him to successfully making the cut for the Upper Island Marine Harvest Riptide, a competitive soccer team that travels every weekend.
Grenier has volunteered as a Riptide soccer camp mentor coach for the past two years now. He said his favourite memory from coaching was “watching the young soccer players grow in skill and understanding of the game.”
With schoolwork and soccer on his plate, he still finds time to help out with events and activities at the Port Hardy Rotary Club since his mother joined the organization six years ago.
“It feels very dignified to be recognized and acknowledged by the community for all of my hard work volunteering for the people and town of Port Hardy, whether it be picking up litter or building a new playground — Every little action helps make a difference,” noted Grenier. “I am simply driven to help out the community by pure satisfaction of being able to help. I would like to say that I am quite honoured to be recognized as a busy student volunteer who donates his time to help build a strong community. So thank you to all members of the community who voted for me.”
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