Posted on Dec. 6: McMaster students get royal honour

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/queen’s_jubilee_award.jpg” caption=”Queen’s Jubilee Award winners”]They may be young, but the age-old adage of 'giving is better than receiving' is not a new concept for McMaster students Adam Green, Adam Spence and Sam Minniti.

For cancer survivor Adam Green, volunteering is a necessity. “I don't see it as volunteering,” he says. “I see it as something I have to do.”

Green, who was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer at the age of 15, volunteers for a number of agencies, including Shinerama, Terry Fox and at a camp for children with cancer. “When I see kids who have cancer and the hardships they go through, that's what makes me volunteer,” he says.

The fourth-year business student, Spence and Minniti were among 46,000 Canadians and 42 Hamiltonians to receive Queen's Jubilee Awards, given to those who have contributed up to 50 years of service to the community. The Golden Jubilee Medal of Queen Elizabeth II commemorates the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty's reign as Queen of Canada.

“When I was at the award ceremony, it was amazing to be among so many people who had given 50 years of service to the community,” says Spence, current McMaster Students Union (MSU) vice-president education and former president of the McMaster Social Sciences Society. “I feel it's a responsibility of mine to volunteer.”

Spence received a medal for a “Symposium on Education” he organized at McMaster last year. “The symposium examined the quality of education and how to improve the quality of education,” he says, noting a 40-page report on this issue was produced out of the conference.

Sam Minniti, fourth-year life sciences student and 2001-02 MSU president, received the medal for helping to raise $24,000 through the Fundraising Initiative Team, which he established during his term as president. Through FIT, he created Round-Up at Titles Bookstore, which raised $13,000 for MSU scholarships, the Terry Fox Foundation, Shinerama and other student initiatives. He also founded Kojo's Kids, which raised $11,000 for McMaster's Children's Hospital.

“You always hear the clichi of how great it feels to be among the calibre of those in attendance,” he says. “Well, it's true. Here are the three of us, still rookies in the game, and we're among people who have been dedicating themselves to the community for years. It just shows you there is so much more volunteering you can do.”

Photo caption: Queen's Jubilee Award winners, from left, Adam Spence, Adam Green and Sam Minniti. Photo credit: Chantall Van Raay