2025 Community Service Awards

Aubrey Searle, Ben Dobranowski and Stanley Hortness present Jasleen Dhaliwal with the Community Service Award.

 Aubrey Searle, and Stanley Hortness present Layan Kutieleh with the Community Service Award.

Layan and her parents came to Canada as Refugees from Syria. She is an interpreter with ISS of BC helping clients who have difficulty with the English language. 

She is a member of the Surrey Leadership Youth Council and was a participant in organizing the Surrey Youth Speak up Forum .Canada Service Corp sponsors PICS ( Progressive Intercultural Community Services).

 Layan worked 120 hours on the program and was given a “micro grant”. She used the grant money to provide gifts for indigenous youth who are being helped at FRAFCA – an indigenous healing centre in Surrey. 

She founded an indoor soccer Club and a Guitar Club at her school and the club now has 20 members. Assisted at the Concours d’art Oratoire and the Bear Creek Light Festival, working at the Christmas Bureau.

 Layan volunteers with the Rise above Expectations and is a supervisor for YOUth Say No to Hate & Racism.   

Aubrey Searle, Stanley Hortness and Ben Dobranowski present Nanziba Islam with the Community Service Award.

Nanziba is a student at Frank Hurt Secondary School. She received $3,000. grant from Intercultural Youth Microgrants Service Corps Program enabling her to create an open-call charity event to provide essential supplies to underserved populations, ie. Care kits for refugees, low-income families, nursing home residents. Distributed over 500 kits.

She also volunteered as a Research Assistant at the Vaccine Evaluation Center at BC Children’s Hospital. Assisted in ACE-Prove and Quest Advance studies – focusing on longevity and optimal dosing schedule of HPV vaccine and factors influencing parental decisions to increase vaccine update aiming to eradicate cervical cancer. significant roles included managing participant outreach, preparing participation kits, ensuring accurate data collection. 

Nanziba is an executive member of school’s Cancer Association Club – organizing fund raising and awareness events, and co-president of Quokka and Me Club – organized fundraisers and awareness campaigns to empower youth to recognize importance of self-care habits.

She volunteered at SunCreek Village, long term care facility, built companionship with the elderly and is passionate about mental health advocacy and supporting vulnerable communities firsthand.