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(Toronto, ON) – Today, Earth Day Canada President Jed Goldberg and Toyota Canada Inc. President Yoichi Tomihara will recognize Keleigh Annau of Parksville, BC as the 2008 Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program National Award Winner. The ceremony, to be held in Alumni Hall, Victoria College at the University of Toronto, recognizes Keleigh’s outstanding achievements in environmental community service, academics and extracurricular participation.
“Keleigh is a perfect example of a student whose inspiring work is having a significant impact in their community, and in Keleigh’s case, around the world,” said Jed Goldberg, President of Earth Day Canada. “She has truly stepped forward as an environmental leader, an individual most deserving of this honour.”
Keleigh was chosen from an influential group of 15 regional finalists from across Canada, selected from a pool of hundreds of applicants. An International Baccalaureate student finishing her semester in Trieste, Italy, Keleigh’s most notable environmental contribution is Lights Out. Following a youth leadership conference in 2005, Keleigh founded Lights Out Canada as a national effort to get schools to turn out their lights and spend a day learning about global warming. More than 50,000 students participated in the first year. In 2006, the program went international and more than 90,000 students participated.
In 2006, Keleigh was selected as the youngest member of the International Youth Summit on Sustainable Urban Transportation in Montreal. Her participation at the Summit led to an invitation to sit on the Parksville City Council as a “Taskforce Member”.
“The commitment to environmental stewardship that we see with this program and from these students is astounding,” said Yoichi Tomihara, President of Toyota Canada Inc. “This scholarship empowers youth across Canada as they make things better for the environment. Keleigh is a prime example that even the smallest change, can make the biggest difference.”
Keleigh will receive a Panasonic notebook computer and a $5,000 donation to her graduating high school in her name. This is in addition to the $5,000 award she received as a regional finalist. Renowned youth environmental activist Simon Jackson, founder of the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition, will also be on hand to present the award.
Toyota Canada Inc. has been a proud partner with Earth Day Canada since 2003. The Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program was established to reward and encourage environmental commitment among students. Fifteen entrance scholarships are awarded each year to graduating high school students entering their first year of post-secondary education. Recognizing that environmental leaders will come from a broad range of academic backgrounds, winners are selected regardless of their intended program of study. To date, $425,000 has been awarded to 85 exceptional young Canadians through the Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program.
For more information about the Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program, visit www.earthday.ca/scholarship.
