One of the recipients of this year’s Sackville Youth Citizen Award was Ryan Reid, a fifth-year commerce student at Mt. A and co-chair for Relay for Life, the non-competitive, twelve-hour, overnight fundraising event held for the Canadian Cancer Society.
The award is presented annually to students who have contributed extensively to their community, whether by volunteering or leading new initiatives in the town.
Cody Steeves and Christian Watts also received awards for their volunteer work with the Open Sky Co-operative.
Reid was nominated for the award by Sheila Parker, the Sackville co-chair of the Relay for Life campaign. Parker said, “his efforts to organize this event, promote awareness, and raise funds are commendable.”
In addition to being an instrumental part of organizing the Relay for Life and Curl for Cancer events in Sackville, Reid also volunteers for the Canadian Testicular Cancer Association. “[He] has put in countless hours to educate his peers about cancer and to share the story of his personal experience,” added Parker.
“I’m a cancer survivor,” Reid affirmed. “I was first diagnosed when I was sixteen, then I had a relapse when I was seventeen, and another relapse when I was eighteen, so the Canadian Cancer Society for me is a way to give back.”
A Sackville Tribune-Post report quoted Harold Jarche, chair of Renaissance Sackville (the organization which sponsors the awards), saying that Reid “puts service before self.”
While the nomination caught him by surprise, Reid said he was very pleased and appreciative.
This year’s Relay for Life will take place on October 18.