#28: Caring Kids – Diana Boettcher Award Winner
Each year HAWS gives out the Diana Boettcher Youth Community Kindness Award. This award is presented in memory of Diana Boettcher, a longtime resident of Lac La Belle, and honors a youth who exemplifies kindness to animals in the community through volunteering, promoting awareness or other acts of humane animal treatment.
Nominees are 11-18 years old. Family, friends, community members and teachers are allowed to nominate deserving youth; in addition, students may also nominate themselves. If chosen, the recipient accepts the award in a public ceremony at the annual HAWSfest spring fundraiser.
Our winner for 2025 is Asa Martin!
Asa began volunteering as a Small Critter Cuddler in the fall of 2022 and continues to fulfill this role today. Since starting at HAWS, he has dedicated over 100 hours to helping small critters in our care. Asa has played a vital role in socializing a variety of small critters, including rabbits and guinea pigs. With his calm and patient demeanor, Asa helps these animals build trust and become more comfortable around people, which positively impacts their stay at HAWS and their chances of adoption. In addition to socializing, Asa provides enrichment activities, treats, and a sense of security to the critters. His dedication and compassion have made him an exceptional volunteer, leaving a lasting impact on the lives of the animals he works with. Congrats, Asa!
Stay tuned next spring when we open nominations for next year’s Award!