As the lone Canadian to be selected as a 2012 Build-A-Bear Workshop Huggable Hero, New Westminster's Ceilidh Millar will soon be heading to world bearquarters.
Millar, 18, is one of 15 young community service leaders to be acknowledged by the program, which recognizes young people for giving back to their communities and around the world. Each of the youth named as a Huggable Hero receive $10,000 - a $7,500 educational scholarship and $2,500 to be donated to the charity of the Huggable Hero's choice.
"Ceilidh volunteers over 40 hours a month as a teen reporter, spokesperson and peer advocate for bullying prevention," said a press release from the Build-a-Bear Workshop Huggable Heroes. "She shares information about the dangers and consequences of bullying through presentations, television appearances and articles. Ceilidh's work has been featured on the National Bullying Prevention Center and Teens Against Bullying websites."
This year's 15 Huggable Heroes have been invited to attend an awards ceremony at Build-A-Bear Workshop World Bearquarters in St.
Louis. They will also participate in a service project in Memphis, Tennessee during the awards celebration, which takes place July 18 to 20.
"The number of Huggable Heroes this year not only celebrates our 15th birthday but also demonstrates the amount of heart that young people have when it comes to giving back," said Maxine Clark, Build-A-Bear Workshop founder and chief executive bear.
"We're thrilled to recognize so many young people who inspire us with their stories and dedication to volunteerism. We believe that encouraging community service at a young age helps establish a lifelong commitment to giving back and making the world a better place."
Build-A-Bear Workshop received about 1,100 entries during its ninth annual search for Huggable Heroes. Millar, whose community endeavours have been featured in The Record on numerous occasions, was a semi-finalist for the 2010 Huggable Heroes.
CAP AND GOWN
Mayor Wayne Wright has enjoyed attending a couple of high school graduation ceremonies in recent weeks.
Some attendees at the June 25 public hearing regarding the controversial Elizabeth Fry Society proposal in Sapperton wondered why the mayor was absent.
Wright said he'd informed councillors and city staff well in advance that he wouldn't be able to attend a meeting on that date, as his oldest grandson Jake was set to graduate from high school.
"He is only going to graduate once - I want to be there," he said. "Almost anything else I would miss."
The Port Moody Secondary School graduation ceremony was held at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver.
Wright said he told Jake that he was proud of him and was excited to watch him embark on a new pathway in life - and he was pleased to take a similar message to New Westminster Secondary School's high school graduates later in the week.
BUILDING WITH ART
Century House wants to make the world a better place through art.
In partnership with the City of New Westminster, Century House is launching Heart Art - an intergenerational art program that will bring youth and sen-iors from New Westminster together for workshops and art projects based on the theme: Making the World a Better Place Through Art.
"It's so exciting," said Kayley Page, one of the youth representatives on the Heart To Art advisory committee. "The project will offer art projects on spoken word, digital photography, mosaic tiles, theatre and music."
Artists will be hired to develop art workshops that will be offered to youth and seniors in the community. In addition to hiring artists in five different mediums, a youth and senior assistant will be hired in each of the mediums to support the artists.
The project is funded by a New Horizons For Seniors grant of $25,000 that the Century House Association applied for and received.
"We are very happy to be able to work with youth in the city," Marg McKee, president of the Century House Association, said in a press release. "Art is a common interest for many people, both young and old."
Artists and youth/senior assistant applications can be found at on the city's website at www.newwestpcr.ca.
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