About the Peter Gilgan Leadership Award Program

Made possible through a generous gift from the Peter Gilgan Charitable Foundation, this scholarship is awarded to five YMCA of Oakville employees who have demonstrated leadership and contributed to both the YMCA and the broader Oakville community. The Peter Gilgan Leadership Award is a bursary valued up to $4,600, awarded to chosen employees to support their post-secondary education expenses.

The program is jointly managed by the YMCA of Oakville and the Peter Gilgan Foundation. Applicants are carefully screened based on the aforementioned criteria, and then referred to a selection committee for a more thorough evaluation and scoring. Applicants are assessed by their contributions to the community, demonstration of core values, leadership, motivation and initiative. Additionally, the selection committee will seek insights and references from supervisory staff members, as deemed appropriate, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the candidate’s job performance and leadership aptitude.

Here are your 2023 Award Recipients

AnnaLisa D’Ovidio

YMCA Summer Day Camp

During the school year, AnnaLisa works for our Membership Services Team at 410 Rebecca. Each summer for three years, AnnaLisa has also taken a leadership role in our Summer Camp Program. This summer, she has expanded her role to include more responsibilities, including Enhanced Support Staff. Additionally, this summer AnnaLisa is serving as our Inclusion Director. She feels that as the Inclusion Director, she brings a fresh perspective to staff, helping them understand how to make our YMCA as safe and inclusive as possible.

An avid student of dance, AnnaLisa found a safe space in dance class, and it was her dance coach who inspired and instilled confidence in her to pursue her passion and dreams. AnnaLisa has always dreamed of becoming a teacher and has been working towards this goal for the past five years. She plans to use this scholarship to pay for her tuition this year, alleviating the stress of working multiple jobs to pay for her studies and allowing her to focus more fully on her aeducation. AnnaLisa is proud that after this year, she will be the first person in her family to receive a post-secondary education degree, which means more to her than anything else in the world.

Andrea Yanez

YMCA Child and Youth Programs / YMCA Membership Sales and Service

When Andrea’s family moved to Oakville in 2014, they joined the YMCA, and Andrea began taking swimming lessons, Tae Kwon Do, Summer Day Camp at Valens, LIT, and CIT. Andrea states that participating in these programs taught her discipline, leadership, and cooperation. In 2018, she started volunteering with our Aquatics department and formed lasting relationships with children, families, and staff. Andrea has contributed to several departments, including child and youth programs, aquatics, summer camp, and now Membership Sales and Service.

Andrea’s ambition is to study Media and Communications, aspiring to work in Public Relations with major brands or public figures. Her ultimate goal is to establish her own video production company. Her employment at the YMCA has solidified her aspiration of being a creative entrepreneur. She remarks that the children and youth she has worked with over the years have kept her updated about their favorite influencers, trends, and videos. Moreover, older members often provide feedback on the preferred methods of receiving information from the YMCA.

Andrea has balanced two jobs while saving for her post-secondary education. She is grateful for this scholarship, which will aid in offsetting some of her educational costs and enable her to transition to working one job, allowing her to concentrate on her studies. We wish her all the best as she embarks on this exciting new chapter of her development!

Inis Muhametaj

YMCA Child Care

Inis’s initial experience at the YMCA was in 2015 when she attended a “bring your child to work day.” Inis’s mom is a YMCA Child Care Educator working in our Before and After School Program. Inis truly enjoyed working with the children and stayed connected to the YMCA by volunteering for special events and fundraisers afterward. In 2017, she was a High School representative for the YMCA Youth Council and attended an event where Kyle Barber, CEO of the YMCA of Oakville, shared his YMCA story. She was inspired to hear how the YMCA offered opportunities to grow and gain transferable skills, thereby advancing career opportunities in the future. She states that her experiences at the YMCA have made her a better problem solver, collaborator, and leader, attributes she believes will be valuable for her future.

Her time with the YMCA Youth Council inspired her to create her own youth club in high schools, named titan VIBESSS, representing voice, inclusivity, belonging, equity, service, safety, and self-love. This club hosted a breakfast that welcomed Newcomers and Exchange Students to experience the YMCA through Day Passes. Inis went on to teach in our Aquatics program, coaching children aged 3-17.

If the YMCA is a family business, Inis has followed in her mother’s footsteps and is also employed part-time in our Before and After School Program. She has already completed a bachelor’s degree and was recently accepted into a Master’s Program where she plans to study Medical Physiology. This scholarship will significantly alleviate the financial burden that comes with post-secondary education, supporting her ability to pay for tuition costs.

Zachary Harding

YMCA Aquatics and Summer Day Camp

Zachary has grown up participating in YMCA programs for most of his life. Zachary and his mom, Teresa, have been involved with our YMCA for several years. Zachary began as a Tae Kwon Do student and progressed to become a TKD coach. At an early age, Zachary also demonstrated his fundraising skills for our Annual Campaign, raising money and securing sponsors for the Annual Kick-A-Thon, which supports our Annual Campaign.

He then completed his swimming levels and aquatic leadership courses at the Oakville Y, leading him to pursue a career in aquatics. He progressed to the roles of Head Guard and Swim Instructor. This summer, he is also working as a Leadership Counselor in our Summer Day Camp programs.

Zachary’s aspirations lie in education, particularly in teaching history with a focus on creating engaging and practical content for his students. This path requires six years of post-secondary education. This scholarship will enable him to cover his expenses while studying in Hamilton during his first year and will allow him to balance a part-time work schedule at the Y with his academic focus.

Furthermore, he aims to continue participating in philanthropic activities in the community. We eagerly anticipate watching Zachary’s continued growth, studies, and his contributions to students in the future.

Delia Jansen

YMCA Summer Day Camp

Delia first joined the YMCA when she was 4 years old. Growing up homeschooled, she says that YMCA programs had a huge impact on her! She participated in swimming lessons, homeschool physical education programs, Friday Nights Out, TAG, and our Youth Exchange programs, attending a youth exchange in Prince George, British Columbia. Delia has volunteered for many years in a wide range of YMCA programs and is now an employee in our Summer Day Camp, leading digital art classes.

She is very passionate about children’s entertainment and hopes to work as a layout or storyboard artist in the Toronto animation industry. The shows she watched as a child had a big impact on her, helping to shape her worldview, and she hopes to pass that along to the next generation. Delia has overcome personal challenges and has worked multiple jobs to pursue her dream of post-secondary study. This scholarship will really help Delia pay for tuition and housing costs, allowing her to pursue her educational dreams wholeheartedly.

Thank you to our 2023 Selection Committee

Anusha Shanmugarajah

Lynn Petruskavich

Sarah MacDonald

Elimar Beccera

Juliet Duke