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Canton Township honors volunteers, youth leaders and longtime contributors at Hall of Fame ceremony
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Summary
At its annual Hall of Fame and community awards event, Canton Township recognized youth achievers, sustainability volunteers and longtime community leaders for service across education, civic engagement and environmental work.
Amy Houston, a staff member in the Canton Township Supervisor’s Office, opened the township’s Hall of Fame and community awards ceremony, thanking staff and volunteers and noting the event honors people "who make Canton a great place to live." The program presented awards in three categories — Community Achiever, Community Supporter and Hall of Fame — and featured video tributes produced by Canton Cable.
Trustee Kate Borninski presented the Community Achiever award to Tesco Chaganti, noting his recent academic honors, including first place at the Metro Detroit Science and Engineering Fair (about 290 entries), fourth place at the Regeneron pre‑college science competition (about 1,700 entries), recognition at Michigan and Canada science fairs, a TEDx talk and laboratory research at the University of Michigan’s College of Pharmacy. Tesco was unable to attend; his mother, Brigida, accepted on his behalf.
Borninski also introduced Evan John, founder of NextGen Community Builders, as another youth award recipient. Evan has focused on civic engagement and pedestrian-safety work; Borninski described a proposed community safety day Evan will help implement in partnership with Canton Township and local first responders. Evan thanked township staff and partners and said he plans to expand his programs.
Clerk Michael Secrest presented the Community Supporter award to Dave Hanna, founder of Creating Habitats for Pollinators. Secrest said Hanna helped establish a foundation fund for environmental education and has worked on finance, scholarship and outreach committees. According to the transcript, Creating Habitats for Pollinators has planted roughly 700,000 square feet of pollinator gardens in Canton Township, about 20 acres since 2021 with an additional five acres planned; gardens described include roughly 25–30% annual flowers and 70–75% native perennials.
Tishkiran “Sunny” Singh was inducted into the Canton Hall of Fame with a video highlighting years of interfaith and civic volunteer work, including organizing volunteer teams for Liberty Fest and serving as a liaison between the township and local Gurdwaras. Sunny gave an impromptu acceptance speech in which he thanked nominators and family and closed with the blessing, "May God bless us all. May God bless America and the entire humanity."
Treasurer Diane Slavens introduced Joan (surname appears with variant spellings in the transcript) as a Hall of Fame inductee and the program played an extended tribute outlining decades of volunteer leadership. The narration credited Joan with long-term roles at the Canton Community Foundation (including a term as president), sustained fundraising through a women’s giving circle that has raised more than $500,000, and extensive volunteer service with schools and local nonprofits. Joan reflected on moving to Canton in 1980, the growth of the community and the importance of legacy, telling the room that "the biggest legacy you can have is measured in love."
The ceremony closed with thanks from event staff, a request for group photos of winners and an invitation to mingle. No formal board actions, votes, or policy decisions were recorded in the event.
