- February 10, 2026
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Country Club East 16-year-old Tom Bergerat was about to receive the Junior Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation for the work he has done to help others.
But he kept talking about what others had done for him.
Bergerat said he has learned patience from working with children with disabilities through his volunteering with Gulf Coast Music Therapy. He has learned to be better organized while directing Out of Door middle school students while they performed in a comedy.
He has learned better appreciation for his own situation when working with those less fortunate. Through it all, he said he has better self-awareness.
It was example of what makes Bergerat special.
"Tom is such a humble child," said his mother, Valerie Melignon. "He doesn't put himself first."
On Feb. 7, Bergerat had to allow the LWRCF to put him first. He was honored during the nonprofit's Polo with the Pros event at the Sarasota Polo Club.
Dr. Janjay Gehndyu, the LWRCF board member who spearheaded the drive to start the Junior Humanitarian of the Year award in 2024, said Bergerat's volunteer hours and his leadership, made him stand above the other nominees.
Bergerat was presented with a $3,500 scholarship at Polo with the Pros while Waterside's Audrey Luke, a junior at The Out-of-Door Academy, and Parrish's Mia Polseno, a senior at Parrish Community High, each received $750 scholarships for being the runner-ups.
While he is proud of his award, Bergerat said giving back to the community is a way of life in his family. He said his parents brought he and his 18-year-old brother, William, to Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy in Myakka following the hurricanes in 2024.
"We just do it as a family," he said. "We just help."
Having an older brother meant Bergerat often would be wearing his brother's hand-me-downs. But when those clothes became too small for him, Melignon began donating the clothes to the Mothers Helping Mothers nonprofit, Bergerat started helping that nonprofit by sorting donated clothes and then putting them out on display.
"It's just about doing simple things, and taking small steps," he said.
He said he appreciates the LWRCF has found a way to spotlight the contributions of young people in the community.
LWRCF Board Member Keith Pandeloglou said the Polo with the Pros event serves as an opportunity to introduce the public to the nonprofit.
"We're always looking for ways to interact with the community," Pandeloglou said. "We like to find ways that don't involved just writing a check. This is not a paddle raise."
Pandeloglou said the LWRCF board members are discussing ways to get teens involved with the nonprofit. One way would be to have Junior Humanitarians being part of the next year's committee to select the recipient. He said the LWRCF also is considering an expansion of its scholarship program.
"We want to make sure we constantly are connecting," Pandeloglou said.
Pandeloglou will be the president of the LWRCF board in June. Could Bergerat picture himself as the board chair of a nonprofit down the road?
"I could see myself doing this," he said with a smile. "This is the tip of the iceberg."
Bergerat hasn't decided upon a college, but he said he wants to study international business. He speaks French and English fluently and he is learning to speak Mandarin.
Melignon said she cried when she learned her son had been named the Junior Humanitarian of the Year.
"This is a good start for him," she said. "We raise our kids to be responsible and good. This is a difficult world. We hope they will be our leaders of tomorrow.
"You plant a seed, and you never know."
Heather Hackett, the 2024 Humanitarian of the Year, was on hand to congratulate Bergerat, her former neighbor. She said Bergerat might find down the road that the award has an impact on his future.
"Yes, 100%," she said. "I don't know how it couldn't. It's so great to start his life that way."
Bergerat said he will continue taking small steps when it comes to helping others.
He said his mom always tells her two boys that one random act of kindness can change the world.
