Name: Riley Johnson

Hometown: Chatham, ON

Carrying torch in: Kingsville, ON

Torchbearer number: 064

A proud Canadian athlete, Riley Johnson is a competitive swimmer who enjoys a variety of sports, including yoga, running and basketball. Being active all the time, Johnson knows the importance of stretching. Doing simple stretches increases his flexibility to do his best at all sports. Johnson also appreciates the importance of leadership in sport. He attended a leadership camp this summer to hone his leadership skills, which has allowed Johnson to help other people become better athletes.

For Johnson, “it is not how good you are, but how much fun you’re having.” He notes that doing his best and giving it his all is important to him, “because if you work hard you can achieve your goals.” For example, Johnson’s most recent goal was to achieve a provincial B time this swim season. He did that by working hard and believing in himself. He now knows he can do anything if he sets his mind to it. Johnson believes setting goals is important and takes great pleasure from the achievement of his goals.

Name: Taylor Balkwill

Hometown: Leamington, ON

Carrying torch in: Amherstburg, ON

Torchbearer number: 097

In grade six, Taylor Balkwill organized a program whereby the foil juice packets used on a daily basis by her classmates, could be collected, cut, washed, and sewn into usable handbags for sale. The first year of the program Balkwill’s school collected one garbage bag per week. Now they collect two garbage bags per day, approximately 144,000 packets per year. This has greatly reduced the amount of garbage at Balkwill’s school.

To promote her program, Balkwill prepared advertising, information and price lists. The Board of Education also requested her presence at the ECO Schools Conference to display, sell, and encourage other schools to become environmentally friendly. Balkwill has contacted other local schools to encourage participation.

To date, sales of the handbags have allowed Balkwill to purchase native Canadian trees to establish her school’s first school nursery. The handbags have also added to the funds for her school’s ECO friendly classroom, pond and wetland. In addition, her ECO team received a $7,000 grant for an environmental proposal they submitted.

Balkwill’s aim has been to teach younger students to take care of the environment. She has taught multiple younger students about the program she once started. As Balkwill moves on to high school, she plans on creating a greater bond between her elementary school and her high school. She hopes together they can strive towards a cleaner environment.