Seven exceptional Surrey youth recognized at the 7th annual SASSY Awards

(L-R) Sukhpreet (Sam) Devgun, Premvir Singh Samra, Shawna Narayan, Gurmehak Bhourji, Devansh Babla, and Pallvi Sehijpaul. (Missing: Yousof Al-Autman)

SEVEN 2017 “Service Above Self Surrey Youth” (SASSY) Awards were presented on Friday evening to honour achievements of local youth. More than 250 people convened at Surrey Arts Centre to celebrate recipients at the 7th annual awards ceremony.

The award recipients were Sukhpreet (Sam) Devgun, Overcoming Adversity; Premvir Singh Samra, Community Service; Shawna Narayan, Youth Leadership; Gurmehak Bhourji, Arts & Culture Leadership; Devansh Babla, Environmental Leadership; Pallvi Sehijpaul, International Leadership; and Yousof Al-Autman, Sports Leadership.

Each recipient received a $1,000 bursary and $500 to donate to a registered charity of their choice.

“The City of Surrey recognizes that youth are a valuable part of our community and we are proud of their active contributions, ideas and perspectives in civic life,” said Mayor Linda Hepner. “Thank you to our sponsors, our amazing performers, and award recipients who made this year’s event another great success.”

“The SASSY Awards have continuously been a key platform that honours youth who engage, grow, and lead while making a difference in Surrey,” said Surrey Councillor Mike Starchuk. “Youth play a major role in our city, and we’re proud of their commitment to making Surrey a great place for other youth to excel.”

The entertainment at the 2017 SASSY Awards: Ben Dunnill – Piano/Vocal; Madelin Haugen from Circus Lab – Arial Routine; Maya Rae – Vocalist; Eleven09 – Band; Jazz Minds – Panorama Ridge Secondary Jazz Ensemble.

Proceeds from the SASSY Awards support Rotary Club’s “Interact” program, where local youth lead projects to help other youth.

The SASSY Awards is a Rotary scholarship awards program for youth, aged 15 to 21, who are living or studying in Surrey or White Rock, which seeks to recognize, acknowledge and celebrate youth achievement. For more information visit www.sassyawards.ca