A sixteen-year-old boy missed his grandparents so much he started visiting an aged care facility to look after an old woman that enjoyed his company.
That young lad has now been nominated for the Young Achiever Awards 2019.
The Community Service and Volunteering Award applauds young individuals who have made an outstanding contribution and have positively impacted the lives of others and their community.
Tyler Petersen said he is shocked and excited to be nominated in the awards.
“I really enjoy the volunteering that I do so I don’t think that it deserves nomination, but it does make me proud that someone thinks what I am doing is important enough to be nominated,” he said.
Tyler attends the aged care facility fortnightly and said it helps him feel better on bad days.
“We talk about lots of stuff and if I have had a bad day at school, or don’t feel great, my visit with Margaret always makes me smile and laugh and I feel heaps better when we leave,” he said.
Even though Tyler already owns a dog, he also started volunteering for Pets of Older Persons a while ago and hasn’t stopped since.
“I think getting the Young Achiever award might encourage other people to try doing things that help people in the community,” he said.
“It might also help me to get a job because I think it shows that I can stick with something for a long time and can do a good job.”
Apart from his passion to help the community, Tyler loves riding his BMX bike at the local skate parks and wants to get his driver’s license to be able to get an apprenticeship as a mechanic in the future.
Category winners of the Young Achievers will each receive a $1000 Bartercard account, $500 cash, $500 gift card and a trophy.
Nominations close on December 11, to find more information call 9201 1155.
