It was also a commemoration event – celebrating the life and legacy of Amy, who died in 1993. The event featured performances by the Amy Biehl Foundation children playing violin, guitar, marimbas, choir and dancers. Nominations for the annual award were based on evidence of the nominee’s initiative and dedication in service to others. The Award goes to young people who are already making a difference in their communities. Our hope is to challenge the youth to greater heights of service through the recognition of the Award.

Aviva Pelham performed with the children and also works closely with the Foundation. Thoko Ntshinga was MC.

The 6 Finalists were:

Benjamin Nakanyala: Is 17 years old and attends Wynberg Boys High School. Benjamin is the Service Prefect for his school and is constantly encouraging his fellow classmates to lend a hand in various projects throughout the school and his community. Some of his most recent activities include organizing a Service Drive for victims of the Xenophobia Attacks, assisting at the Big Jive Walk as well as, The Two Oceans Marathon.

Jigneshkumar Patil: Is 18 years old and attends Rylands High School. He works closely with the Rylands High Youth Charity Organization, assisting in numerous community projects such as the Red Cross Old Mutual Marathon, collecting over 100 bags of clothing for St. Luke’s Hospice and marshalling at the Blisters for Bread Walking Event.

Waldi Maintz: is 16 years old and attends Welterusten Academy and has a passion for helping those in need. He is involved in a variety of programmes which reach out to a person in need, comforting the sick, providing vegetables from her garden to others as a source of good vitamins, as well as, educating children about how neighbours should treat one another during the recent xenophobia attacks.

Lusapho Hlatshanen (2nd runner up) i: Is 18 years old and became involved in community service work through the Youth in Philanthropy Programme South Africa. Over the past year she has dedicated numerous hours to teaching Sunday school to local children, discussing the environmental issues in a peer education programme and talking to teenagers about family planning at the Cape Town Station Reproductive Clinic.

Phillipa Bodenstein(1st runner up): Has recently turned 18 and attends Wynberg Girls High School. She is Head of the Service Pillar and Peer Guides at her school. In the past year she has been extremely involved in community projects. To name a few examples, Phillipa initiated an Aids Awareness Drive, where she challenged her school and community to knit jerseys for AIDS orphans at Nazareth House and Little Angels and she is currently in the process of taping children’s stories in a variety of languages which will be used in children’s hospitals.

Thulani Matyeni (WINNER) : Is 18 years old and attends Fezeka High School. He has reached out to his community in a variety of ways over the past 4 years, especially in the past 12 months, through his church, school, the local hospital and by creating a Street Rap group that spreads messages of hope. Thulani’s motivation for servicing his community is that he receives great joy from helping others and creating a future for his fellow neighbours. He has made so many good choices about his life that when he began to see the fruit of those choices he was adamant about reaching other kids his own ages. Birth date: January 25th ,1990. (Nominator: Heather Anderson 0215319174)

Thulani was the winner because he took his own initiative to reach out. Examples are:

1. Went to high school (Fezeka High School) and asked to speak at their various assemblies, challenging his classmates to make better choices. He organized a showing of a HIV/AIDS film called "in your face" to be shown at the school and then discussed.
2. To reach more than just his friends and schoolmates he formed a street rap group called Ukanyiso which performs on the streets of Gugulethu on Fridays and Saturdays free of charge - with their own messages of change and hope for the community
3. On Saturdays he visits the sick in various wards at Jooste Hospital - offering comfort to the sick, talking to the them, asking how he can be of help to them.

These are only examples of what Thulani has contributed to his community. If he becomes aware of a specific need in the community he rises to the occasion and tries to find various avenues to help. He has overcome tremendous adversity in his own home (has no father and mother has sever drinking problem), learning from his experiences to assist and help others in need who are much like himself.

This is from his personal statement: "there is so much need in Gugulethu and I am but 1 young man but I get great joy out of helping others and see them eventually work along side of me touching the next life, encouraging the next child, and together making a future for Gugulethu."

The runner-ups each received R1,000 and a dinner voucher for 4 from Addis in the Cape. The Winner received a full year course at Damelin Mowbray Campus, R2,000 for himself, R2,000 for his school, a weekend away package from Protea Hotels and a dinner voucher for 4 from Addis in the Cape. The nominator of the winner received a weekend at La Rochelle B&B in Wellington.

Horst & Rita Boes donated music instruments to the Foundation

Dancers

Finalists of the Youth Spirit Award with Sindi Shayi, WC Education Department, Ntobeko Peni, Linda Biehl and Kevin Chaplin from the Foundation

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