Ivneet Bains
Surrey, British Columbia
Age at time of award: 19

Ivneet came to Canada from India in 2007 and, soon after, founded Math4me, a mentoring organization which develops young Canadians academically and personally.

It is managed by university and high school students, and focuses on math and on fostering self-confidence through public speaking activities such as debates.

“Bullying and the lack of motivation and guidance among students inspired me to change (students’) attitudes through volunteering,” says Ivneet.

Math4me now boasts sixteen employees and has impacted over 300 students. Some participants’ grades have increased by 60%!

With complete devotion to Math4me, Ivneet plans to scale it up with the goal of touching over a million lives and staying true to their mission statement: students today, scholars tomorrow.

Jennifer Cloutier

Ottawa, Ontario

Age at time of award: 19

Losing the use of her legs in a car accident at the age of six, Jennifer became dedicated to improving the lives of the disabled and those with chronic illnesses.

Her experience fuels her passion for stem cell research: currently, Jennifer is studying Human Development and Regenerative Biology and donates her research efforts to the Harvard Stem Cell Institute working on understanding cellular reprogramming.

Her Top 20 sponsor, a Professor Emeritus of Harvard’s Department of Neurobiology, hails Jennifer as, “one of the most impressive, perhaps the most impressive” student he has ever taught.

This year, Jennifer was elected as President of Women in Science at Harvard-Radcliffe and will represent Canada at the Adaptive World Water Ski Championship. Humble and clear with her intentions, Jennifer says, “I am truly driven in whatever it is that I can do to help others.”

Darren Cole
Toronto, Ontario
Age at time of award: 16

When Darren discovered that 37% of the 900,000 Canadians who use food banks each month are children, he started Kids Against Canadian Hunger (KACH).

KACH has raised more than $20,000 to date for Food Banks Canada - money which can purchase up to $200,000 worth of food. KACH has 1,800 Facebook members and a website which raises money for Food Banks Canada, and educates students and teachers about hunger in Canada.

A respected speaker at local schools, Darren organized a successful Hunger Conference to help youth understand and fight child hunger; another is in the works for 2011.

Darren also organized TOPS for Teens, raising over $2000 for teens in need during the holiday season, and along with his two brothers, started KIDPACKS, which in four years distributed almost $1M in school supplies and backpacks for needy students.

Corey Cook
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Age at time of award: 18

Corey is an advocate for an organization called Mino Bimaadiziwin, an Ojibwe word meaning "The Good Life".

It teaches First Nations youth lessons of their culture’s history and ways to cope and deal with the specific issues that challenge them, including how to avoid substance abuse, gangs and peer pressure. Facing a variety of hardships throughout his early years, today Corey is a prime example of the program’s success.

Since enrolling four years ago, Corey has become both a speaker and a recognized community leader. He is called upon for interviews and has participated in the documentary, “Mino Bimaadiziwin: Touching The Sky”. Corey declares, “I feel like it's the answer for First Nations nationwide, and I am proud to be a part of the solution that will restore First Nations' youth everywhere their identity as a distinct proud nation!”