Meagan and Mikaila Nederveen recently received Ray Lewis Volunteer Awards from Sport Hamilton, after being nominated by McMaster University for their volunteer work.
Graduates of St. Mary’s Catholic Secondary School the Nederveen sisters are both key members of the McMaster Athletes Care, a new program within the department of athletics and recreation that focuses on community outreach and service with an underlying theme of sports.
Meagan is a fourth-year kinesiology student, co-captain of the McMaster women’s volleyball team and rep on the McMaster Athletes Care council and has volunteered numerous hours in community outreach events. She also volunteers with speech pathology of stroke victims in several local hospitals.
Mikaila is a second-year kinesiology student and a member of the McMaster squash team. She is on the McMaster Athletes Care executive as the director of the Eva Rothwell Centre. In this role, she is responsible for co-ordinating weekly trips for student athletes to visit children at the north-end centre. She also co-ordinates return trips for the children to attend Marauder home basketball and football games. Mikaila also volunteers with the McMaster Wheelers .
Mikaila was the 2009 recipient of the Dundas Youth Volunteer of the Year and is the student CEO for McMaster University for the Weekend to End Women’s Cancers Walk. Meagan and Mikaila are looking once again to the local community in requesting financial donations to sponsor their goal of raising $2,000 each for the Weekend to End Women’s Cancers Walk in September 2012.
As well, the sisters will travel in May to the Dominican Republic to volunteer with the Mac DREAMS program, assisting with the construction of homes and delivery of supplies to remote villages.
The Ray Lewis Community Service Award is presented to an outstanding college or university student-athlete who has made a significant volunteer contribution to the community. A winner is selected on a rotational basis form McMaster University, Mohawk College and Redeemer University.
“Rapid Ray Lewis” was a Canadian track and field star in the 1930s. He was a role model and mentor to many Hamilton students and young athletes, and received the Order of Canada in 2001.
