by Bonnie Collings
A passion for volunteering and a dedication to helping those in need saw 16-year-old Maxx Jenkins named Baw Baw Shire's Young Citizen of the Year for 2025.

Best known as the person behind "Maxx's Cans for Kindness", but also for his annual "Biggest Morning Tea" events and his volunteer work at Ellinbank Primary School, Maxx's main focus in everything he does is helping people less fortunate than himself.
Maxx has autism and is described by his family as humble, selfless and caring. When he's not volunteering, Maxx enjoys spending time with his therapy dogs, Diesel and Lani.
When Maxx found out he was receiving the young citizen of the year award he was surprised.
"I didn't know I was going to get it. I felt happy, I felt very good."
Maxx was unable to attend the awards ceremony so his grandparents Sylvia and Rob Trewern accepted the award on his behalf.
"(My family) were very proud of me," Maxx said. "Nan and Pop were happy to get my award for me."
Maxx began volunteering at Ellinbank Primary School about five years ago. Alongside his support workers, he was tasked with a variety of jobs at the school.
"I sorted out money, sorted out pencils, cleaned the shed that was messy," Maxx said.
He also helped create a sensory room for students.
Another one of Maxx's volunteering responsibilities is organising an annual "Biggest Morning Tea" event with his support worker Sam to raise money for the Cancer Council.
With the help of Maxx and Sam's family and friends, the morning tea events are filled with yummy foods for everyone to enjoy.
"Everybody helps me with baking," Maxx said. "I can make hedgehog slice by myself, but I still get some help."
"He makes a lot of things with his support workers, special helpers and friends and family, everyone gets involved," Maxx's mum Leah said.
Knowing his hard work is helping people in need, Maxx said he feels "very good."
"Last year (we raised) over $1000," Maxx said.
Perhaps Maxx's most impactful volunteering venture is "Maxx's Cans for Kindness."
With the help of his mum and strong enthusiasm from the local community, Maxx collects cans and bottles that can be recycled through the Victorian container deposit scheme and donates his profits to local charities.
People from all over West Gippsland leave their cans out for Maxx to collect on his pick-up runs with his mum. The idea was born out of a home schooling activity in November 2023. Now, the activity has grown into a multi-layered educational experience and Maxx has learnt a wide range of skills.
"There's lots of educational layers that we had no idea about when we started," Leah said.
"Recycling the cans meant we'd have to use our fine motor skills, work out how to collect cans and get tubs, how to count money and estimate how many cans we had," Leah said.
Another skill Maxx has learnt through collecting cans is how to read maps and understand directions for when he and his mum drive around the community to collect cans.
To manage all the numbers involved with collecting and recycling, Maxx also is learning how to use spreadsheets.
When I spoke to Maxx last month, he had deposited a total of 43,118 since starting "Maxx's Cans for Kindness."
"Every time I get cans, I guess how much it's going to be," Maxx said. "I'm really close sometimes, and sometimes I'm a bit over."
"He has learnt so much from all those new tasks, and Maxx doesn't like anything for himself, he's really happy to give the money away," Leah said.
At last count, Maxx had raised $4582.75 through deposited cans and financial donations from community members.
"If I didn't donate it and kept it myself, I'd be very rich, but I'm happy to share," Maxx said.
"I've donated to the Salvation Army three times, Baw Baw Food Relief three times and Frankies Community Kitchen."
Since starting "Maxx's Cans for Kindness", Leah said she'd noticed that Maxx's kindness had rubbed off on the community.
"The big thing about this is that the kindness has become contagious," she said.
An example of his infectious goodwill was Maxx's Christmas donation goal last year.
When Maxx told Leah in November that he wanted to raise $2000 before Christmas to donate to the Salvation Army, she wasn't sure it would be possible in a four-to-six-week timeframe.
Within four weeks, they'd surpassed their goal. "People got on board!" Leah said.
"Sometimes when people see me they say "that's Maxx from Cans for Kindness" but I don't even know who they are!" Maxx said.
Maxx has some ideas for where he wants to donate next, including a family who need support to look after a sick loved one, and his all-abilities basketball team.
Maxx wants to continue helping people with his donations and said he was inspired by how the community showed kindness and support.