Students in Chatham-Kent who will be graduating from high school this year may want to show off their volunteer hours as organizers of the Wallaceburg Antique Motor and Boat Outing (WAMBO) remove limitations to a bursary opportunity.
WAMBO organizers launched the Youth Ambassador Bursary Program in 2018, specifically open to Grade 12 students at Wallaceburg District Secondary School. The initiative chose a male and female graduating student who had a heavy presence in the community when it came to volunteering. Miria Pelletier and Brock Yazbec were named last year's WAMBO Youth Ambassadors and they each walked away with a $1,500 bursary to go towards their post-secondary education.
Although WAMBO is an annual event held in Wallaceburg, organizers are putting an emphasis on it being a Chatham-Kent event. In order to show that, the program has been opened up so that all Grade 12 students in the municipality who are planning to pursue a post-secondary education will be eligible to apply.
Similar to last year, two students -- one male and one female -- will be named WAMBO Youth Ambassadors and applicants will be chosen by an independent selection committee. The two students selected to represent as WAMBO Ambassadors will need to have flexible hours during the summer as they will be asked to be available for community functions, which include WAMBO and the Otter Creek Jam Fest in August.
As the bursary targets students who are active volunteers, applicants must have more than the standard 40 hours of community service on their resumes. Part of the application also includes a 700-1,000 essay on “why volunteering is important to you and your community”. The deadline to apply is on June 3 by 12 p.m. The Youth Ambassadors will be announced towards the end of June, with the award presentations set for August 10 during WAMBO.
WAMBO is now in its 31st year. The three-day event is set to take place the weekend of August 9.
Further details for interested students, as well as application forms, can be found by clicking here.
