The Optimist Club of Port Colborne recognized Port Colborne’s finest youth last Wednesday with their annual Youth Appreciation Award.

Tori McIntyre, a grade 12 student at Port Colborne High School was presented with the Optimist Club award and recognized by the City of Port Colborne for herincredible involvement in the community.

“When you see young ladies like this my generation can rest assured that life is going to go on and it’s going to be even better than what we have had before,” City of Port Colborne Deputy Mayor John Mayne said.

“We tend to dwell a little on the negative, nobody remembers the good people,” he said. “But there is a heck of lot more good people like these ladies.”

“They have certain rules here that need to be followed, not everyone is a winner,” he said. “But, in my eyes, everyone who was nominated is a winner.”

“It’s great to see the local clubs like the Optimist Club and the Lions Club recognize our outstanding youth,” he said. “That is the backbone of our community, the youth.”

Victoria McIntyre’s involvement with the community begins with her involvement in her high school. She has been a member of Port Colborne High School’s student council throughout her high school career, a member of the pulse percussion and the jazz band and has participated in volleyball, basketball and track and field at the school while maintaining grades in the 80’s and 90’s.

McIntyre is a volunteer member of the Port Colborne Historical & Marine Museum recently receiving her five year pin from the Ontario Government, is a dancer at Dance Expressions for 10 years and shares her passion teaching beginner dance classes.

Through special training, she is now able to attend McKay Public School in the morning and tutor young children in math, she is a lifeguard at Sherkston Shores Resort and teaches swimming lessons at the local YMCA.

Her future plans are to attend the University of Guelph to study Human Kinetics.

“I feel very appreciative and honoured to receive this award from the Optimist Club and the recognition from the City of Port Colborne,” award recipient Victoria McIntyre said. “It’s very nice to be recognized for the things that I do in the community.”

“It all just kind of comes naturally,” she said. “I just really like to help people out.”

Port Colborne Optimist Club Youth Appreciation Award chair Jen Silvestro spoke about the pleasure of working with youth on this level.

“It’s very important for youth to get involved in their community,” Silvestro said. “They are the cornerstones of our future, we hope to get them out into the community working with the youth that we work for.”

“That’s what we are all about, the youth,” she said. “And being able to interact with teenagers that are looking to do the same thing is inspiring.”