The Julia Riccobene Award for Excellence in Community Service

Julia was a regular kid who did extraordinary things. She had a big, beautiful smile that would light up a room, and she was always laughing and having fun. She had an infectious, fun-loving spirit and a positive attitude.

Her family and friends were most important to her. She loved having sleepovers with her friends and cousins, hanging out with her brother and sister and playing with her dog Rusty.

She regularly went on mani and pedi dates with her big sister, and her big sister would often straighten and curl her hair. She loved her special nights with her dad at a father-daughter ball and shopping trips with her friends and her mom. She also loved connecting to those who were important to her on social media.

Some of her favourite foods were tacos, sushi, grilled cheese sandwiches and strawberries with Nutella. She loved baking and making slime and arts and crafts. She also enjoyed watching movies and TV shows.

Julia had strong ties to the community and loved playing at the park with her friends and riding her bike around the neighbourhood. She can be described as someone who was “friends with everybody”.

Julia loved playing sports, especially basketball, volleyball, soccer and skating. She also had strong academics and had a love for music and dance; she did ballet, musical theatre and jazz. She shared her love of dance with others by volunteering at Youth Now on Track Services (YNOT) by dancing at the awards dinner for the past two years.

YNOT and the Riccobene family will be presenting the Julia Riccobene Award for Excellence in Community Service award annually in hopes that it will inspire others to follow their dreams, pursue their passions, contribute to the community and be kind to others as Julia did in her life.