Volunteer of the year
Every year, the Watersmith Guild selects one individual that provided outstanding support in furthering the mission to inspire watershed conservation and improve lives through arts and adventure. We are honored to present the award for the 2022 Volunteer of the Year to Steve Adams.
This year’s Volunteer of the Year represents a historic moment for the Watersmith Guild and First Waves. Steve Adams is the first recipient of the award to have started out as a youth participant in the First Waves program. In fact, Steve was among the first group of students in the inaugural First Waves program in 2014. Now, as we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the program, we award Steve this award as he came back to the program with a group that he was mentoring himself. Steve describes his reunion with First Waves:
“My name is Steve Adams, and I was in this exact program (First Waves) growing up. When I started mentoring and coaching youth, one of the first things I thought of was, this was the best event I ever did so I’m going to reach out to Ian (Watersmith Guild). I did, and a few months later we had the programming running! I’m really excited to be doing this because this program really had a big impact on me. Being an inner-city kid, never imagining I could be standing on a board and start going out on the water. We didn’t have those opportunities as a kid so giving this experience to our kids is so important.”
Steve assisted with a variety of First Waves programs throughout the year, including an integral role in a TV show broadcast of “Start Up” with PBS/World Channel. He was also a crucial volunteer in the creation of the Guild’s latest feature film, Watermarks. Steve contributed by supporting youth in the program and providing an array of volunteer hours at programs from Moraine State Park to Johnstown, PA. We are so grateful for his support and truly honored to announce Steve as the 2022 Volunteer of the Year award recipient.
Learn more about Steve’s journey with the Watersmith Guild in the video below: