Math whizz Warren, multi-sports athlete Power among Paradise winners

By Mark Squibb \ April 28, 2023

The Town of Paradise marked Volunteer Week last week by rolling out the red-carpet for its annual Municipal Awards, held on April 20 at the Double Ice Complex.

“Our Municipal Awards night is a great time to celebrate the link between community mindedness and success in our town,” said Mayor Dan Bobbett. “Without the contributions of our hard-working and dedicated volunteers, coaches, athletes and businesses, Paradise would not be the strong and growing community it is today.”

The Junior Athlete of the Year Award for youths under 18U proved to be the most competitive category of the night; for the female award there were six nominees, and for the male award there were seven.

Emily Power, a Mount Pearl Senior High honours student, Martial Arts instructor, three-time Kenpo karate world champion, and Team Canada rugby player, earned Junior Female Athlete of the Year.

The Junior Male Athlete of the Year, meanwhile, was awarded to 2023 Canada Games team member and 2022 gold medal winner at Elite Canada, trampoline athlete Gleb Evstigneev, currently studying at Memorial University.

Evstigneev’s coach and Campia Gymnastics Club Trampoline Program Director Steve Nolan was awarded Coach of the Year. Nolan was named 2023 Canada Winter Games Trampoline coach and Coach of the Year for Trampoline with Gymnastics Newfoundland and Labrador in 2022.

The 19+ Male Athlete of the Year Award went to curling champion Sam Follett. He has represented the province two years consecutively, and has also competed in the Provincial Curling Championship, Canada Games, and the Canadian National Junior Curling Championship. He currently attends MUN.

Paradise Running Club co-founder Keith Glynn was awarded the 50+ Male Athlete of the Year Award. Glynn has competed in 83 road races including 14 Tely Tens, 12 Cape to Cabot races, three marathons, two half marathons and countless five-kilometre runs.

The Awards for 19+ and 50+ Female Athletes were not presented.

The Business Excellence award for companies with 15 or more employees was awarded to Paradise Dental Care, while the award for employers with fewer than 15 staff went to Get Messy NL. Both businesses are involved in numerous charities.

Mount Pearl Senior High student Joshua Warren was named Youth of the Year. Warren was selected to represent his school at the Michael Smith Challenge, the University of Waterloo Math Contest, and the Canadian Chemistry Contest, and last summer completed an internship at PolyUnity Tech. He is a Deputy Commander with his local air cadets squadron, holds a part-time retail job, and volunteers with various groups and organizations.

The Volunteer of the Year was awarded to 20-year-old Meghan Pennell. She is active with the Paradise Air Cadets and the 905 Viking Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron, and volunteers at numerous community events throughout the year. The Volunteer Group of the Year is the Paradise Lions Club. It has been active for many years, with its members serving food at the Gathering Place and Ronald McDonald House, helping people who need to travel out of province for medical appointments, assisting Ukrainian families new to the province, and buying groceries and Christmas presents for people in need. The Club has also joined with Team Broken Earth and organized a local campaign to collect and recycle eyeglasses for residents in Guatemala.