Congratulations to Athena Pare for being this year’s recipient of the Leaders of Tomorrow Award!
Athena is an example of a young Innisfailian who goes out and makes a difference in our community. She is an active leader and volunteer. Someone who comes up with an idea and does the work to see it through.
Athena is a regular volunteer, devoting her time to multiple organizations. She is an active part of the Innisfail Historical Village, the Innisfail Ski Hill and the Youth Ministry she belongs to. At the Village, she has volunteered for numerous events and has worked summers there. She loves to interact with the public and make their time at the Village special. She has volunteered for multiple events – the Halloween Hop, Snow and Tumbleweeds, plus Halloween at the Village. She can be seen in costume engaging with guests young and old. She brings an enthusiastic approach to each.
At the Innisfail Ski Hill, she fills multiple roles and helps when possible. She has volunteered in food service and likes to help others get to know the hill. As a snowboarder, Athena has sometimes taken the role of teacher to help others improve their abilities and gain confidence on a snowboard. As part of her Youth Ministry, she works with younger members to help them be a part of the Ministry’s efforts. This happened both at Notre Dame High School and locally to ensure that there was a broad impact.
A stand-out on Athena’s list of ways that she leads is by taking it upon herself to contribute in her own way. In the early stages of the pandemic, when it was mostly about social distancing and caution, Athena came up with “the Search for Hope.” Her take on a scavenger hunt had people going throughout Innisfail looking for strategically placed stars that had clues to lead people to a following location. It was a novel approach to making things brighter locally. It was a difficult time to bring people together while still being safe. The Search for Hope was inspiring, inclusive, and something that anyone could participate in; it made a positive difference locally at a difficult time.
Volunteering is an important part of their family. Her twin sister, Akaysha and mother, Linda, can often be seen volunteering alongside Athena at many of these events.
She is described by her nominator as empathetic, innovative and someone who leads by example – someone who will continue to make a difference as she works towards her Bachelor of Education degree.
