Mayor Lovatt recognized two graduates of the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville Fire Cadet Program, Andrew Weintraub and Austin Wu.
With the assistance of a grant from the Whitchurch-Stouffville’s Legacy Fund, the Cadet Program was developed in collaboration with staff at Stouffville District Secondary School and our Fire & Emergency Services Department. The goal of this program is to build confidence, increase comfort in social settings, and to build on interpersonal skills within in a professional workplace and, of course, learn about fire safety.
Over the past 18 weeks, Austin and Andrew (both senior students), along with their educational assistant Teresa, have attended station 5-1 each Wednesday. They have participated in various activities such as fire safety presentations, fire prevention inspections, apparatus checks, firefighting, first aid training, and many more activities.
There is no question that over the past number of weeks, it has been amazing to see these two individuals build confidence and comfort with our Fire Services team. We know that this experience will be something they will not soon forget. Congratulations to both Andrew and Austin for the successful completion of the Cadet Program.
Our Fire & Emergency Services Chief, Bill Snowball, could not be here today, so he has asked me to read the following message on his behalf:
"My congratulations to both Austin and Andrew for their success in the program. It has been a pleasure for me to watch them grow and build self-confidence. I would also like to thank all the staff for their hard work and dedication in making the program successful, especially Brianna Varsimas, who championed the program from the beginning. This type of program allows us to make great strides in public education in our community. And a special thanks to the Whitchurch-Stouffville Legacy Fund for so graciously sponsoring the program."