Bringing joy to everyone at Christmas – especially those children dealing with difficult family situations – is a goal of Katy Scharf, a volunteer with the Children’s Aid Society in Sudbury .

On Thursday, the YMCA of Northeastern Ontario recognized Scharf as its 2025 YMCA Peace Medal recipient for “her compassionate leadership, community engagement, and unwavering dedication to children and youth in the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) system.”

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Over the past several years, Scharf has organized Christmas gifts for youth in care — ensuring every child feels valued, remembered, and celebrated during the holiday season, the YMCA noted in a release. What began as a thoughtful initiative has grown into a community-wide effort, bringing together volunteers, businesses, donors,

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