Parkes wins inaugural AUS Swimming Student-Athlete Community Service Award
From Atlantic University Sport
UPEI Panthers swimmer Kaylynne Parkes was named the inaugural recipient of the AUS Student-Athlete Community Service Award for the sport of swimming at the recent 2011 Subway AUS Swimming Championship luncheon held at Dalhousie University.
The Atlantic University Sport Student-Athlete and Community Service Award has been among the major awards handed out for other AUS sports in recent years, and recognizes achievement in athletics, academics and community involvement. This year marks the first time the award has been included in the post-season compliment of awards for all sports, and Parkes is the first recipient from AUS swimming.
"With so many of our AUS student-athletes excelling in the classroom, in their respective sports and in the community, it is appropriate that we honour these individuals in all of our sports," said Phil Currie, Executive Director of Atlantic University Sport. "Kaylynne is a great ambassador for her sport, UPEI and Atlantic University Sport and we are proud to be able to recognize her with this inaugural award."
Parkes, a fourth-year student at the University of Prince Edward Island, is a native of Mississauga, ON, and is currently completing a Dietetic Internship. She has achieved Dean's List status at UPEI in each of the past three years and has also been recognized as a CIS academic all-Canadian.
Over the past year, Kaylynne has been fortunate enough to have had many volunteer opportunities, including the chance to travel to Kenya for three months to volunteer with local women's groups and five different elementary and high schools. While in Kenya, she worked with the schools to improve their school gardens and consequently their school lunch programs, making the meals served to students more nutritious. She also worked with women's groups to educate the women on methods to improve family nutrition and improve complementary feeding practices.
Since returning home, Kaylynne has been able to use her experience to educate community members about food security issues and their link to agriculture through sharing her experiences with various groups through formal presentations, from students and faculty on campus, to various church groups, and a variety of other community organizations.
Kaylynne also volunteers with school breakfast programs in Charlottetown, with the Prince Edward Island canoe/kayak program and within the UPEI Department of Family and Nutritional Sciences.
Parkes will be the AUS nominee for the CIS Student-Athlete Community Service Award later this month at the 2011 CIS Championship, February 24-26 at the University of Calgary.
Parkes along with fellow graduating UPEI student-athletes, Mikhala Brinklow-Mcknight and Carrie Mills, were also recognized with a gift from the host organizing committee at the luncheon.
