Three young people from Sechelt along with 38 of their peers from across B.C. became the latest Queen's Venturers last week.
Chantelle Shields, Alton Toth and Aaron Martel each qualified for the prestigious award by completing the qualifications in a three-quarters inch thick manual.
Local scout leader Bruce Morris was present for the ceremony at Government House in Victoria.
"There was a little moisture around my eyes when the kids got these awards," he said.
Morris has been involved with the scout movement for the past 25 years. Although the number of participants in the scout program has decreased on the Sunshine Coast, Morris has not lost his enthusiasm for the program or the participants. And he's proud that a little town such as Sechelt could have three Venturers qualify for the highest achievement possible in the Venturer program.
The award signifies that a Venturer has, in the opinion of those who know the Venturer, both the character and ability to be of significant help to other people.
The award consists of a cloth emblem and a parchment certificate signed by the Governor General of Canada and the lieutenant-governor of British Columbia.
All three award winners started in the scout movement as small children. And all three could easily be termed over-achievers.
Shields graduated in January 2004 at 16. She's currently taking university transfer courses at Douglas College in New Westminster with an eye to going on to study medicine. She plans to first qualify as a nurse so she can earn money while studying to become a doctor.
"When [Chantelle] was 11 or 12 she advised me she was going to be a doctor on Mars," her mom Debra said. "And I thought, wait a minute, in 20 years they'll probably need one."
Debra doesn't think anything is impossible for her daughter. From the time Chantelle was little, she's been involved in making the world a better place. As a teen she was a regional youth advisor for the scout program. She met with adults and let them know what kids her age wanted and needed to make the program fun and educational.
Chantelle qualified for the Queen's Venturer award by completing such challenges as teaching spirituality to a group of students, becoming a first responder for medical emergencies at the huge scout jamboree a few years ago and planning a major excursion away from home. She's also been a member of air cadets for several years. Her mom credits a thirst for reading and learning as the root of Chantelle's success in both youth programs. Toth is also a fan of the written word. While still in high school, the budding writer wrote and distributed his own broadsheet newspaper, the Coast Connection.
He helped the Sechelt Downtown Business Association with their first newsletter and has won writing awards from the Sechelt Library. No stranger to hard work, Toth was one of the main forces on the Chatelech year book last year.
Toth, along with Martel, went to the Scotland Scout Jamboree last summer. While at the jamboree, Toth worked on the camp newspaper. And to give back to the movement he values so much, Toth is a leader for Beavers, the program for five to seven year olds.
Martel taught Canadian canoeing while in Scotland, a jamboree first, according to Morris. Martel has been in the scout movement for the longest time of the three. He joined at age five.
One of the most important moments of the ceremony for Morris came when Lt.-Gov. Iona Campagnolo told the group they were good for another 70 years of giving to the community.
"This is not just another badge on their shirts. There is a huge amount of expectation in them," Morris said.
