MANCHESTER, NH – The Granite YMCA held an awards ceremony last month during which volunteers, community supporters, donors, and employees gathered to recognize and celebrate the many accomplishments of The Granite YMCA over the past year. Two major awards were presented:
Mark R. Stebbins Youth of the Year Award
In recognition of his volunteerism and strong leadership skills, Henry Robinson was presented with the Mark R. Stebbins Youth of the Year award. Henry has been an integral part of The Granite YMCA for nine years. He has been an active participant in the Downtown Manchester Leaders Club for four years and was recently elected Club President. He has also fallen in love with Camp Mi-Te-Na, one of The Granite YMCA’s overnight camps, as a camper and counselor-in-training. His plan is to share his love for the outdoors and community as a full camp counselor. Henry is the youth leader who lights up a room, genuinely wants to know how you are doing, listens intently and shows interest in the people he interacts with. As a leader, he demonstrates kindness, gratitude, innovation, volunteerism, and optimism.
For these and other reasons, Henry Robinson embodies the Y’s core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility making him the Mark R. Stebbins Youth of the Year.
Tom and Sally Addison Volunteer of the Year Award
In recognition of his extraordinary leadership over the last several years, the Tom and Sally Addison Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Jeremy Walker, Esq.
Jeremy is a native to New Hampshire and a well-known community leader. He became a member of The Granite Y’s Board of Directors and quickly became engaged as a local Manchester Advisory Board member. It did not take long for Jeremy to step into a leadership role, becoming a candidate as Vice Chair and member of the Executive Committee in his second term on the Y Board.
Jeremy stepped into the role of Chief Volunteer Officer in 2024 and has served a two year term. Michele Sheppard, CEO of The Granite YMCA shared, “having Jeremy’s steady guidance has been of tremendous importance to the organization as a whole. And whether he is welcoming a President to the Allard Center, sharing stories of impact on Capitol Hill with the New Hampshire Federal delegation, or leading our Board and staff through the shuttering of a branch, we all have known that the Y’s enduring impact and resilience has been stewarded by our Volunteer of the Year, Jeremy Walker.”
For his dedication, intentionality, and deep caring for the Y mission, Jeremy Walker is The Granite YMCA’s Tom and Sally Addison Volunteer of the Year.
About The Granite YMCA As one of the state’s longest standing and most enduring non-profits, The Granite YMCA focuses on youth development, healthy living, social responsibility, and family strengthening. Across the state, its seven branches, and two overnight camps, engages 30,000 men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to improve their health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. In 2025, The Granite YMCA provided financial assistance and free services valued at over $1.6 million to 12,000 individuals. To learn more, please visit www.graniteymca.org.