The 2022 Service Above Self Surrey Youth (SASSY) Awards were presented last Wednesday May 4 during BC Youth Week to honour achievements of local youth. There were 140 attendees at Surrey City Hall to celebrate 43 nominees in six award categories. 2022 SASSY Award Finalists included Elizabeth Lin, Cabrinha Clark, Alex Passmore, Jiye Choi, Danica Almeida, Riley Haertl, Alyssa Hai, Jacob Sawatzky, Manpreet Dhesi, Jessica Buuck, Sanjana Karthik, Desiree Marno, Amy Bolenback, Cassie Thompson, Juliana Manalo, Shamma Taank and Simi Sahota.

 By DESIBUZZCanada Staff

SURREY – The 2022 Service Above Self Surrey Youth (SASSY) Awards were presented last Wednesday May 4 during BC Youth Week to honour achievements of local youth. There were 140 attendees at Surrey City Hall to celebrate 43 nominees in six award categories.   

2022 SASSY Award Finalists included Elizabeth Lin, Cabrinha Clark, Alex Passmore, Jiye Choi, Danica Almeida, Riley Haertl, Alyssa Hai, Jacob Sawatzky, Manpreet Dhesi, Jessica Buuck, Sanjana Karthik, Desiree Marno, Amy Bolenback, Cassie Thompson, Juliana Manalo, Shamma Taank and Simi Sahota.

 “Congratulations to all of this year’s SASSY award finalists for your valuable contributions to our community,” said Mayor Doug McCallum. “On behalf of Council, I would like to thank you for representing and leading the youth in our city. I know that the future of Surrey is bright with all the talented youth we have rising up in the ranks. I’d also like to thank this year’s sponsors, performers, volunteers and youth leaders for making this event a success and investing in our young people.”  

Awards were presented to three finalists in the categories of Arts & Culture Leadership, Community Service, Environmental Leadership, Youth Leadership, Overcoming Adversity, and Sports and Recreation Leadership. The recipients of each category received $1,500 along with a $500 donation to present to a charity of their choice. The two finalists in each category both received $500 to honour their achievements in the community as well as a $250 donation to the charity of their choice.  

Presented by Semiahmoo Rotary Club along with the City of Surrey, the 12th annual SASSY Awards featured performances by the Semiahmoo Secondary Jazz Combo, Soloist Karishma Deo, along with SASSY alumni, dancer Emma Misak and singer song-writer Richard Tichelman to round out the evening’s entertainment. Proceeds from the SASSY Awards support Rotary youth programs like Interact and Rotaract, where youth from our community lead projects locally and globally to help make the world a better place.  

The SASSY Awards is a Rotary scholarship awards program for youth aged 15 to 21 who are living, working or studying in Surrey or White Rock, which seeks to recognize, acknowledge and celebrate youth achievement.  For more information visit www.sassyawardssurrey.ca