The Outstanding Teen Award is given to young individuals who stand out from the rest and have demonstrated character values such as caring, honesty, respect, responsibility, and faith.

“Jameson Sposato has been coming to the Y since he was two years old. Not only is he a top student but he is a great athlete. Jameson is the Chautauqua County tennis champion and is currently qualifying for sectionals in Buffalo. He has an excellent personality and a positive attitude which led us to hire him as a tennis instructor,” said Tom Anderson, branch manager at the Lakewood Family YMCA.

Sposato is working his way to become one of the top tennis prospects in the area. Joanna Johnson is involved in the Teen Center.

“Joanna was a standout Teen Center member during all of high school. She looks for ways to be helpful and participated actively in programs we offer like Ready to Work and prevention programming. She brings a smile, humor, caring and good attitude everywhere she goes. We are proud of her and her accomplishments and look forward to hearing about the great things she is up to now that she begun college this fall. She has developed many skills that have put her on a path to a successful future,” said John Barber, teen director at the Jamestown/Lakewood YMCA.

Jon O’Brian, YMCA Camp Onyahsa’s director presented Camp Onyahsa’s Teen of the Year award to Rae Lessinger, at the YMCA’s Annual Awards Banquet which was recently held at the Y’s Downtown Branch.

Rae Lessinger, 16, lives in Stockton and attends Cassadaga High School, where she is focusing on welding and wildlife management, and also loves to spend time at YMCA Camp Onyahsa.

“Rae has been an Onyahsa camper for a couple of years, and joined the staff last fall to assist with our youth monthly camps and part-time housekeeping. This summer Rae served as an Assistant Counselor working with our full youth camps and remaining for our collaboration with the Resource Center, site clean-up, and running crafts activities this past weekend for the Dwyer US veterans and families day. Rae plans to attend college for Environmental Resource Management We look forward to her continued work through the school year with our kids’ programs and site work,” said Jon O’Brian, director of Camp Onyahsa.

Joanna Johnson, center, received a YMCA Outstanding Teen Award, during the YMCA’s Annual Banquet, which was held at the YMCA’s Downtown Branch, recently. John Barber, the YMCA’s teen director, right, had positive words to say about this outstanding teen as did Joe Michishima, left, teen center manager.