WODS players named to Waterloo Region's Top 40 Under 40

I am sure you will all join me in congratulating Megan and Nolan on this significant accomplishment. We are proud to have them represented in the WODS community.

Top 40 Under 40: http://news.therecord.com/News/article/493690

Megan's Article: http://news.therecord.com/article/493626

Nolan's Article: http://news.therecord.com/article/493702

The Record - Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Megan Conway
Age: 29
Location: Kitchener
Occupation: director of Pathways to Education program at the Catholic Family Counselling Centre
Contribution: Helping children stay in school

Megan Conway wants every child to stay in school and have a shot at university or college, no matter what neighbourhood they come from.

Conway runs an innovative program new to Kitchener to combat the elevated high school drop-out rates in lower-income neighbourhoods.

The Pathways to Education program, based at the Catholic Family Counselling Centre, offers tutoring, mentoring, advocacy in schools, and financial support to help disadvantaged youth finish high school and increase their chances of carrying on to post-secondary education.

Pathways launched in the fall of 2007, and now there are 275 Grade 9 and 10 students in the program from two Kitchener neighbourhoods -- Kingsdale and Chandler-Mowat.

"This is sort of my dream job that just landed in my lap," Conway says.

Conway had been a volunteer mentor in the Regent Park neighbourhood of Toronto where Pathways began. She ran into the head of the Kitchener counselling centre and was asked to get the program off the ground here.

Conway says it's "phenomenal" to have the chance to help individual students as well as address community problems through Pathways.

Education -- and a varied one -- is important to Conway in her own life.

The Ottawa valley native has a teacher's degree, and a master's degree from Cambridge University in England. Now she has embarked on a PhD in urban planning at the University of Waterloo on top of her work with Pathways.

Conway's intelligence and spirit made an immediate impression on Hulene Montgomery, executive director of the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation. Montgomery meets a thousand people a year for funding, but Conway stood out.

"She's very committed and she's very knowledgable," Montgomery says.

Nolan Andres
Age: 39
Location: Waterloo
Occupation: founder of PeaceWorks Computer Consulting
Contribution: technological support
Website: http://www.peaceworks.ca/

His company has been called the Robin Hood of the IT world and it's a name that seems to fit.

PeaceWorks Computer Consulting, the brain work of Nolan Andres, provides affordable, high-quality technological solutions to non-profit organizations and small businesses.

Andres started the company when he was just 25 and a computer science student at the University of Waterloo.

Now, at the age of 39, his company has grown to employ more than 20 people.

"When it comes down to it, I'm not motivated by money," he says. "I'm strongly motivated by the need I see in the community."

Andres' dream came about after he realized that many social justice organizations lack financial and technological resources.

By offering his technological skills, he could help these organizations incorporate affordable solutions that would improve their work.

Andres says the financial sacrifices he and his staff make by working at PeaceWorks are their way of giving back to the community.

The staff may not make a lot of money, but they all feel good about the job they're doing.

Hari Stirbet, who nominated Andres for 40 Under 40, describes PeaceWorks as "a company with a soul" and describes Andres as "a visionary."

"He has tremendous passion for helping others," Stirbet says.

40 under 40: The Record honours those making a difference in our regionz

RENT DAVIS, record staff

This special section of the Waterloo Region Record shines a light on outstanding young people in our community. From the arts to education and industry, these 40 people under the age of 40 represent the many individuals who are making a difference in our region. We celebrate their contributions and honour them as true leaders.

A 24-page special section, available in Wednesday's print edition, shines a light on those individuals. Additional multimedia content about the honourees is available by accessing the links below this text portion.

The honourees were treated to a luncheon in the Waterloo Region Record's Canada Room on Tuesday.

There, Editor-in-Chief Lynn Haddrall introduced each person and spoke of their achievements before presenting them with a commemorative plaque.

"We're celebrating the next generation of leaders in Waterloo Region," Haddrall said.

A panel of judges selected the honourees from a list of people who had been nominated. Narrowing it down to the final 40 was a challenge, Haddrall said.

"Our 40 under 40 recipients are a great source of inspiration for all of us," she said. "We celebrate their contributions and honour them as true leaders."