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After receiving an esteemed provincial award for younger volunteers earlier this month, Windsor’s Maya Mikhael has reaffirmed her ardour for neighborhood service as she begins her subsequent chapter at college.
Mikhael, 18, was amongst 24 recipients of the Ontario Medal for Younger Volunteers, recognizing her group Maya’s Buddies — a charitable lemonade stand she based on the age of eight — which has donated a whole lot of 1000’s of {dollars} to charities throughout Windsor-Essex.
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The Hon. Edith Dumont, lieutenant-governor of Ontario, introduced the awards throughout a ceremony at Queen’s Park on March 1.
The information “got here as a shock” to the younger philanthropist, who in 2019, acquired the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers from Gov. Gen. Julie Payette at Rideau Corridor in Ottawa.
“I used to be sitting in a category throughout welcome week once I discovered that I had gained the award,” stated Mikhael.
“It was wonderful. I used to be actually fortunate to have that chance.”
She had recruited 30 college students from throughout Essex County to assist her make fresh-squeezed lemonade in alternate for donations of money or canned meals. All proceeds from the lemonade stand went to native charities, together with the Salvation Military, the Downtown Mission, and Ronald McDonald Home.
Whereas she has since closed down store, Mikhael is onto her subsequent chapter as a first-year pupil on the College of Windsor within the Behaviour, Cognition & Neuroscience program.
“I’m hoping to sooner or later change into a physician and assist deal with homeless folks,” she stated, “and open my very own homeless shelter.”
Mikhael additionally retains busy as a member of 11 golf equipment on the college and producing her podcast Windsor’s Fact discussing points in the neighborhood.
Her final objective is to proceed “spreading kindness and preserving a constructive perspective with everybody round me.”
“It doesn’t matter what anybody says, hold doing what you’re obsessed with and do it since you really feel the necessity to assist and since you really feel such as you really love what you’re doing and impacting the folks round you.”
mmazak@postmedia.com
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