Teesha (centre) flanked by 2018 finalists Chelsea Keenan (left) and Cheryl Zandbergen. Bart Findlay and Roger Cummings of the Maple Ridge Community Foundation present each with a certificate and inscribed memento. (photo credit: Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows News) We are so pleased to celebrate the recognition of our very own Teesha Sharma as the first Maple Ridge Citizen of the Year Under 40 for her tireless volunteer efforts to aid homeless youth in our community. At the annual fundraiser, the Maple Ridge Community Foundation (MRCF) also recognized Dr. Biju Mathew as the 2018 Citizen of the Year for Lifetime Achievements from among amazing finalists Julie Koehn and Kim Dumore. This year marks the first that the MRCF has drawn attention to a younger set of outstanding citizens, including youth under 19. Eight-year-old marvel Ryder Moore was singled out for his Ryder Rainboots campaigns and other work, which he initiated with the help of his family at age six. The two finalists alongside him were Gurleen Goraya and Marlowe Evans, who have also already racked up impressive records as teenagers.
Teesha was nominated because she assists youth in our community every single day and night. While she uses her work day to improve the mental health of youth from all walks of life, she dedicates her free time after work to supporting homeless youth that lack any other form of support. Many are subject to human trafficking and exploitation.
Teesha is profiled in a video commissioned by the MRCF. Some of her motivation for helping youth day and night was revealed when she said "to be the worker that I always wanted myself, and create services that are barrier-free, the ones that a youth doesn't need anything to access."
The CEED Centre Society is proud to have the volunteer efforts of Teesha more broadly recognized in the community. She was a nominated finalist previously for the YMCA's Power of Peace award. She is one of the founding youth supporters of the Youth Wellness Centre and is playing key roles in the creation of Foundry, a one-stop, wrap-around service hub for youth. Despite having a diagnosis of PTSD from years of abuse as a youth, which makes it challenging to appear in large groups of people, Teesha is a regular contributor to provincial and even international mental health conferences, sharing her knowledge of youth-friendly approaches for service providers, including sensitive issues such as self-harm and suicide.
Teesha is currently spearheading the campaign to create a youth safe house system for B.C. While a limited number of youth shelters are in place, there are no safe houses in undisclosed locations in which a youth under 18 or younger can remain in safety 24/7. And Maple Ridge youth do not have access to a shelter anywhere closer than 35 km away. Together, we can change this.
Teesha was nominated because she assists youth in our community every single day and night. While she uses her work day to improve the mental health of youth from all walks of life, she dedicates her free time after work to supporting homeless youth that lack any other form of support. Many are subject to human trafficking and exploitation.
Teesha is profiled in a video commissioned by the MRCF. Some of her motivation for helping youth day and night was revealed when she said "to be the worker that I always wanted myself, and create services that are barrier-free, the ones that a youth doesn't need anything to access."
The CEED Centre Society is proud to have the volunteer efforts of Teesha more broadly recognized in the community. She was a nominated finalist previously for the YMCA's Power of Peace award. She is one of the founding youth supporters of the Youth Wellness Centre and is playing key roles in the creation of Foundry, a one-stop, wrap-around service hub for youth. Despite having a diagnosis of PTSD from years of abuse as a youth, which makes it challenging to appear in large groups of people, Teesha is a regular contributor to provincial and even international mental health conferences, sharing her knowledge of youth-friendly approaches for service providers, including sensitive issues such as self-harm and suicide.
Teesha is currently spearheading the campaign to create a youth safe house system for B.C. While a limited number of youth shelters are in place, there are no safe houses in undisclosed locations in which a youth under 18 or younger can remain in safety 24/7. And Maple Ridge youth do not have access to a shelter anywhere closer than 35 km away. Together, we can change this.
RSS Feed
