Adele Poynter

Memorial Award

Award Overview

This award was established in memory of Adele Poynter, founding Chairperson of Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador and chairperson for over a decade. This award is intended to continue Adele’s commitment to community leadership and dedication to the environment and cultural resources of the province by providing financial support to select youth who have demonstrated the same commitment and passion in their academic work, paid work and volunteer activities.

  • Applications for the Adele Poynter Memorial Award are now open! The deadline to apply is October 18th, 2024. Click here to apply!

  • The Adele Poynter Memorial Award will be awarded to a youth who is a resident of Newfoundland and Labrador and who has demonstrated an active commitment to the environment or cultural resources of the province through their volunteer/work activities.

    A cash prize of $1000 will be awarded to the successful recipient of the award. In accepting the award the recipient will provide a photograph and short bio that will be displayed on CCNL’s Adele Poynter Memorial Award webpage and CCNL’s social media sites. The award winners may list the honour on their resumes.

  • Quality of submission (GPA will not be qualifying criteria); residents of Newfoundland and Labrador; youth between the ages of 16 to 30; individuals who have demonstrated an active commitment to the environment or cultural resources of the province through their volunteer/work activities are encouraged to apply for this award.

Past Award Recipients

  • Leah Casey

    A warm congratulations to the 2023 recipient of the Adele Poynter Memorial Award!

    Leah Casey is an environmental activist, coordinator and engagement powerhouse both in her school and in her community - founder of Holy Spirit Highschool's Environment Club, the CBS Community Garden 's Youth Engagement Lead and Manuel's River Green House Member, Board Member of the Chamberlain's Park Action Committee and Executive Planning Committee Member of local Fridays for Future Climate Strikes. With a lifelong interest in environmental conservation and renewable energy, Leah is looking forward to pursuing her Bachelor of Science next year to gain a broader perspective of what opportunities lie ahead!

  • Jessica Turner

    CCNL is very happy to announce Jessica Turner as the recipient of the 2022 Adele Poynter Memorial Award!

    Jessica has passionately pursued educational, employment and personal opportunities to invest in environmental and cultural conservation priorities and we are very proud to support her ongoing efforts in these fields! Way to go, Jessica! Keep up the inspiring work!

  • Brittney Garcia, 2021 Adele Poynter Award winner

    Brittney Garcia

    Congratulations to Brittney Garcia, the 2021 winner of the Adele Poynter Memorial Award.

    Brittney is completing her Masters of Environmental Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She holds a B.A. of Environmental Science (Biology). In the summer of 2021, Brittney worked on an urban forestry inventory project as a member of the Conservation Corps NL Green Team with the City of Corner Brook. She is also an active volunteer with the Rotaract Club of Grenfell and Grenfell Campus Food Bank; an executive member of Jack.org Grenfell Campus; and a member of the Environmental Affairs Committee. Brittney volunteers as a Climate Reality Leader with the Climate Reality Project.

  • Jennifer Blundon, 2020 Adele Poynter Memorial Award winnder

    Jennifer Blundon

    Congratulations to Jennifer Blundon, the winner of CCNL's 4th annual Adele Poynter Memorial Award.

    Jennifer Blundon is studying Ecology and Conservation Biology, and earning a minor in Geography, at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador (MUN). Jennifer has volunteered with the Fluvarium in St. John’s, where she learned about the watersheds that flow through the area. She also completed a work term with the Ecological Sciences Section with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans at MUN, where she monitored habitats and species in Terra Nova’s Newman Sound, as well as worked with the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research Lab. Most recently, Jennifer worked as the Team Leader for the City of Mount Pearl Green Team with Conservation Corps NL. She spent the summer caring for the City’s community gardens and educating youth on environmental conservation.

  • Keerthika Ashokkumar, 2019 Adele Poynter Memorial Award winner

    Keerthika Ashokkumar

    Congratulations to Keerthika Ashokkumar, the winner of CCNL's 3rd annual Adele Poynter Memorial Award.

    Keerthika Ashokkumar holds a Masters in Technology degree in Water Resources Engineering and a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering from Karunya University, India and is currently completing her Masters in Environmental Sciences at Memorial University. During her Masters at Memorial University Keerthi has worked with the Moreton’s Harbor community to mitigate the Arsenic contamination in their water supply and with the O’Brien Farm Foundation on water management for the farm. Keerthi has also worked with Saudi Aramco Ltd in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as an Associate Consultant on Environmental Impact Assessment Projects before moving to Canada.

  • Arielle Przybysz 2018 Adele Poynter Award winner

    Arielle Przybysz

    Congratulations to Arielle Przybysz, the winner of CCNL's 2nd annual Adele Poynter Memorial Award.

    Arielle Przybysz is in her fifth year of an undergraduate program at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and is pursuing a double major in Ecology & Conservation Biology and Geography, and a double minor in Sustainable Aquaculture and Fisheries Ecology (SAFE) and Psychology. She is also planning to apply for the Arts Diploma in Geographic Information Sciences (GIS) at Memorial in the Fall 2019 Semester.

  • Alexandra Hayward, 2017 Adele Poynter Memorial Award winner

    Alexandra Hayward

    Congratulations to Alexandra Hayward, the winner of CCNL's inaugural Adele Poynter Memorial Award.

    Alexandra Hayward is a truly outstanding individual that has shown and continues to show strong community leadership and dedication to the environment.

    Alexandra's employment has also been connected to the environment, with roles such as a WISE SSEP Program where she assisted in puffin research, a MUCEP position that involved in assisting in wolf behaviour research, a restoration and research position with NAACAP and work on two separate CCNL Green Teams.

About Adele Poynter

Adele held a B.Sc. (Hon) in Geology from Memorial University and a Master's in Resource Management from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. She started out working for Gulf Oil in Calgary and returned to Newfoundland to work for the province's Petroleum Directorate, before being appointed a Commissioner with the Economic Recovery Commission in 1990 by then Premier Clyde Wells. Passionate about the environment and community, one of her proudest achievements while at the ERC was the establishment of the Conservation Corps of Newfoundland and Labrador.

When the Commission's work ended, Adele worked as a consultant for several years before returning to her roots in Geology as the Executive Director of the Johnson Geo Centre - a position that combined her talents as a geologist and corporate leader and allowed her to spread her enthusiasm for the history and geology of Newfoundland.

Adele's personal interests were numerous and diverse - a woman for all seasons. She loved the ski hill, the tennis court, making jewelry, and singing in choirs, while passionately debating political-economic policies for Newfoundland or serving on national environmental boards such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Adele had a passionate personality, a big heart and a sharp sense of humour that drew people to her. Adele’s positive outlook on the world and industrious and caring nature lives through the work and people of the Conservation Corps to this day.