The students of Lasalle Secondary School and the school's principal, Maureen McNamara, were presented with the President's SISU Award at the Finlandia SISU Foundation's President's Dinner Oct. 25.
The award was introduced in 2014 by Finlandia Village retirement community to honour individuals and/or groups that consistently demonstrate strength and determination – or “SISU” — in service to the community.
For the past three years, Lasalle Secondary School has shared its “SISU” with the Sling-Choker Family Walk – a six-kilometre hike from the school to Finlandia Village in Minnow Lake.
This year's event took place on Saturday, Sept. 29, and raised more than $8,200 for the ongoing development of a trail system for seniors at Finlandia.
McNamara credits the staff, students, family and alumni of Lasalle Secondary School for the continued success of the event. She said she “would like to thank members of the community who continue to support this important initiative.”
She continued, stating that they “appreciate every dollar donated, as our students work to support active living at all stages of life. This truly is a collective effort.”
“Health and wellness plays a significant role for our staff and students,” she said. “We are incredibly honoured to give back to a community that has given so much to us. Thank you.”
Lasalle Secondary School first established a relationship with Finlandia Village back in 2007, with the launch of the Intergenerational Memoirs Writing Program.
In addition to bridging the gap between generations, the program has proven to foster co-operation, collaboration, understanding, positive interactions and fellowship opportunities for students.
