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APEX nominees an example for all |
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Wednesday, 09 April 2008 |
Every year at this time, a host of young people from Taber and surrounding areas are honoured.
Typically, they are not honoured for any one particular thing but rather, a variety of good deeds.
They are what we always call, quite simply, "good kids."
This year, there have been 28 good kids, and one youth group, nominated for the APEX Youth Awards.
Tomorrow night, the largest collection of APEX nominees in the history of the event will be recognized for who they are.
They may not be the best athletes in town, or the student destined to be a valedictorian award winner one day.
But every year, the nominees represent a group of youngsters who make their communities better places to live in.
The way they make this happen varies from nominee to nominee, and represent contributions as individual as they are.
With that, the actions of these young people make them leaders in their community, whether they realize it or not.
They are shining examples of what young people can achieve, and what positive impacts they can make.
Today, there is certainly a lot going on around them which can distract youth from making such a difference. Here, in the height of the information and technological age, there are myriad ways youngsters to keep themselves amused.
The 2008 crop of APEX nominees, like those that came before them, more often than not have put other people first.
That type of attitude is enlightening, and refreshing, not only from the youth of our communities but from anyone nowadays.
As more and more people shy away from public life and retreat to the busy nature of their work lives and individual recreation time, less and less time is being devoted to volunteerism and community pursuits in general.
These young APEX Youth Awards nominees are proof there are young people willing to carry the torch into the future. They are an example, not simply for their peers but for the rest of us as well.
Tomorrow night and beyond, celebrate the achievements of our special young people, and maybe we can all even learn a thing or two while we are at it. |
