Every year Orion Area Youth Assistance honors young community members at a ceremony attended by their families, community leaders and the OAYA Board of Directors & staff.

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The 2026 Youth Recognition Ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 14th to which our Award Winners, their families, the nominators, and local dignitaries are invited.

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Awards are given in three categories:

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Community Service Award

Youths (or group of youths) who have a passion for volunteering and have exceeded expectations by consistently volunteering at school, church, or community organizations beyond basic graduation or other service hour requirements. Examples include assisting seniors or persons with disabilities, working with younger students who need support, and leading or organizing extracurricular activities or community events.

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Personal Achievement Award

Youth that have demonstrated a dramatic positive change in attitude or behavior, overcome a significant obstacle or challenge (health, family situation, etc.) or have made a strong, positive academic turnaround.

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Good Citizen Award

This award recognizes students who demonstrate consistent behaviors that contribute to a kind, accepting, and inclusive environment in their classrooms, school, or other community groups. These are students who would be characterized as kind, empathetic, helpful, friendly, and/or inclusive. These are the types of students who would invite a friend to join the group or stand up for a student who is ostracized.

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If you would like to support our Youth Recognition program, please click on our Donate button at the top of the page and select Youth Recognition from the dropdown menu. All donations are applied exclusively to program delivery.