The Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) would like to congratulate Devan Bahia and Emily Oakes for being named the 2021/22 CSSHL Humanitarian of the Year Award Winners.
Devan Bahia spent the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons with the Yale Hockey Academy U15 team. During the 2021/22 CSSHL season the Cloverdale, BC defenseman captained the team.
“Devan has the qualities of leadership that we aim to foster: genuine care, empathy and passion. In addition, he has the well-being of his school community at heart. It’s great to see Devan recognized for his selfless acts of kindness. He puts others ahead and always eager to help. With all that has gone on over the last two years here in our community, there are several examples of him stepping up leading charitable causes. He is well deserving of this award,” added Yale U15 head coach Doneau Menard.
Academically, Devan has been on the academic honor roll every term and was top student, demonstrating the maturity and the skill-set to be a manager of time, resources, and vision in order to meet his goals.
Earlier this fall Devan helped spearhead a response for those devastated by the floods in Abbotsford, BC. In a dark and scary time for the community, Devan was part of the response and helped raise over $3,000 and had an overwhelming response in a local food drive for the Abbotsford Food Bank which directly helped those most in need. The year previous, he was involved in the team’s record-breaking food drive during the Christmas holidays, despite these efforts being made during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Devan regularly volunteers at the Sikh Temple in Richmond, BC where some of his duties include teaching young kids in Punjabi, washing dishes, serving food, companionship with those seniors with disabilities and showing genuine compassionate care. He is the embodiment of the temples’ ‘Seva’ mantra in demonstrating selfless service performed without any expectation or result or reward. Devan was an active contributor at the Yale annual Golf Tournament fundraiser, regularly volunteers in the H1-H4 on-ice development at North Shore Winter Club, volunteer coaches with Surrey United Soccer and was an active volunteer at a Ronald McDonald House providing and serving meals.
Emily Oakes has spent the last four seasons in the CSSHL with her hometown Okanagan Hockey Academy (OHA). The Penticton, BC forward is committed to Lake Superior State for the 2022/23 season.
“Emily is a model athlete in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. She exemplifies the community support and outreach that we hope to help instil in all of our athletes. Emily has taken it upon herself to be an honor student, volunteer in the community herself, and organize events for the OHA student-athletes to do the same. A student-athlete that will continue her career at the post-secondary level and will undoubtedly continue to represent the league and the Okanagan Hockey Academy with the greatest respect,” added OHA Female U18 Prep coach Cassea Schols.
Over the last four years Emily has been a part of the leadership program at the Penticton Secondary High School which has her helping organize school events and taking part in getting the student population to interact in the school and community. Over the span of those four years she has taken part and organized volunteers from OHA for the ‘Toys for Tots Drive’, which helps collect toys for families that are in need over Christmas to have presents under the tree.
Emily has also taken part at an event called ‘10,000 Tonight’, which is organized by the school leadership group where they get 100 volunteers throughout Penticton to collect non-perishable items over the holiday season to donate and help families in need of holiday meals. Emily takes part yearly in the grade 9 orientation, the book drive, and graduation ‘spaghetti night’ which helps raise money for the graduating class for their graduation activities.
This year Emily was a part of an OHA U18 Female Prep team event that had the group raise over $1,000 cash and over 100 school supply packages for the ‘South Okanagan Women in Need Shelter’. Along with her teammates, they collected school supplies and donations throughout Penticton to make sure families in need had all the necessities for their kids to go to school with a back pack, pens, pencils, paper, pencil crayons and many other supplies. Lastly, Emily has given back to the minor hockey association in Penticton, helping with skill development at practices for the U9 and U11 female teams.