_{Board Directors, Brandon Koebel, Susan Sakal and Michelle Eccles accept the 2022} Hanover Chamber of Commerce Not-For-Profit Excellence Award alongside Executive Director Emily Morrison, Town Representative April Marshall, and Board Chair Adam Olivero, on April 18, 2023.

From The Post (March 23, 2023)

Since it opened in 2015, Launch Pad has made a huge improvement in the lives of the young people in our community and surrounding region. As program manager, Ashley Hoy says, "There is nothing else in the area that does what we do, and we can do so many wonderful things for the youth in the community." The staff of Launch Pad have created a safe and inclusive space for youth 12-18, where they can explore skills training, technology, entrepreneurship, and learning beyond the classroom, gaining skills they're not able to get anywhere else. Young people who have benefited from the programs that Launch Pad offers have been able to move seamlessly into skilled trades and tech jobs. Hanover's police service has reported a significant decrease in the number of negative interactions between police and youth since Launch Pad opened. Launch Pad has given the young people of our region a positive alternative space to learn and grow, and given them guidance, support, and opportunities for self-expression. 

Launch Pad staff also work with the high schools in the region, reaching many more young people through co-op programs and more. Many of the instructors who come to Launch Pad to share their expertise are volunteers - setting an example for the young people that giving back to community is for everyone. 

Skills offered at Launch Pad have included woodworking, welding, automotive, coding, sports, sewing, and cooking, to name a few, but more than that, Launch Pad has given the young people of our community the experience of success, and reasons to believe in themselves. 

That in itself is a definition of excellence.