On Wednesday, November 29th, KidsMatter hosted their annual Youth Service Awards in Naperville’s city council chambers. Nina Menis, Executive Director of KidsMatter gave the opening remarks followed by a singing performance from the Bella Voce and Vella Cantare ensembles from the Young Naperville Singers. Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli presented each award along with Naperville city council members Ian Holzhauer, Patrick Kelly, Paul Leong, Allison Longenbaugh, Josh McBroom, Jennifer Bruzan-Taylor, Dr. Benjamin M. White, and Nate Wilson.
2023 Youth Service Award Recipients
This year’s award recipients and their nominating organizations are:
360 Youth Services: Lilly Korbal and Tessa Williams
Alive Center NFP: Aayush Modi and Patrick Baldinger
Buddy Break at Good Shepherd Church: Nico Besteiro
DuPage Children’s Museum: Jaden Yau
Indian Community Outreach: Risha Bansal
KidsMatter: Avery Belgio, Anna Buchenauer, Ria Mishra, and Kendall Klimek
Little Friends Inc.: Samia Hasan and Rachel Day
Loaves & Fishes Community Services: Will Perdew
Naper Settlement: Delaney Fenlon
Naperville Area Humane Society: Dakota Ford
Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force: Emma Orend
Naperville Park District: Max Henige
Naperville Public Library: Aakash Kolli
The Morton Arboretum: Sheel Parikh and Saloni Parikh
How KidsMatter inspires youth
Founded in 2001, KidsMatter is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which focuses its efforts on the healthy development of young people, regardless of their backgrounds. Their mission is: “building resilient kids who say ‘No’ to destructive behaviors and ‘Yes’ to their endless possibilities.” KidsMatter offers many different programs to get kids involved in their community, providing the assets they need to grow, achieve, and thrive in school and beyond. They also provide many resources to families experiencing abuse, addiction, mental health crises such as anxiety and depression, and equip parents with support they need for their child. KidsMatter also brings many impactful events to the community such as their annual volunteer fair, community job fair, and several online webinars focused on topics of mental health, trauma, healthy relationships, and more. The Youth Service Awards acts as KidsMatter’s way to thank the youth of the community for engaging in positive change and recognizes their outstanding volunteerism.
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