Savana Melton
SENIOR / NORTH LITTLE ROCK HIGH SCHOOL
HUSSMAN COMMUNITY AWARD
North Little Rock’s Savana Melton didn’t break any barriers in sports. The 18-year-old kicked them down. As the first female kicker for the Charging Wildcats football team, Melton went on to be the first female to kick and score in a state-championship game. Her three years on the team made Melton recognizable in her community and even the state. However, her heart of gold is worthy of equal recognition. Throughout her high school career, Melton managed to be a three-sport athlete — track, soccer and football — as well as participate in a plethora of communityservice activities. These accomplishments made Melton the perfect candidate for the 2018 Hussman Community Award. “We chose Savana for the Hussman Community Award because we were impressed with her commitment to serving others in her community. She stood out as a confident, altruistic and kind young lady who is concerned with the well-being of others,” said Eliza Gaines, vice president of audience development for WEHCO Media. “She should be looked to as a role model for those wanting to give back to those in need.” Savana’s mother, Kristin Melton, is in awe of all her daughter has been able to accomplish, not only on the field but also in the community. “The things she is going to remember most are those events and opportunities when she had to do service projects,” Kristin said. Savana’s first venture into serving her community was when she joined the Mayor’s Youth Council as a freshman. She has remained a part of the organization ever since. Having seen her older brother, Garet, make an impact on the community through the program, she couldn’t wait to get started. The program offers a weekly opportunity to be involved in the community in a variety of ways, whether it is taking teddy bears to the elderly in local nursing homes or working a shift at the local soup kitchen. “I have always looked up to Garet and realized I wanted to be like him and make a change in the community, as well as giving back,” Savana said. “Luckily, we got to serve on the council together for two years, and I cherished every moment of it.” Jan Scholl, director of the North Little Rock Mayor’s Youth Council, said Savana has been a great addition to the team. “She has knitted caps for the homeless, hosted a South Korean student from our Sister City, washed dogs to help raise money for Rock City Rescue, carved pumpkins for Ronald McDonald House, helped clean up our veterans cemetery, collected shoes and clothing for the homeless, purchased and delivered stuffed animals for the nursing home, and moved dirt and planted in our garden,” Scholl said. “She has done all of that and lots more throughout high school.”
I AM BEYOND BLESSED TO RECEIVE this prestigious award. I want to thank my family, friends, teachers/coaches and, most importantly, God, for guiding me throughout my life so far. This award is an outstanding honor and a great motivation for me to continue helping others in my community.” — Savana Melton, HUSSMAN COMMUNITY AWARD RECIPIENT
Savana’s passion in the program is “The Giving Ground,” a garden where the members learn to plant flowers and vegetables and make compost. The garden produces perennial flowers that are sold as a fundraiser to purchase groceries for the Canvas Methodist Church Homeless Outreach program. In addition, the garden grows potatoes, squash, tomatoes and more that are given to low-income families. “I enjoy serving members of our community who are homeless at Canvas,” Savana said. “Food nourishes the body, but conversation builds relationships and encouragement.” As a part of the Sister City Exchange Program between North Little Rock and Uiwang, a city in South Korea, Savana welcomed three students from South Korea into her home and her life. Kristin said the visiting students accompanied Savana in all of her activities, ranging from community service to 6 a.m. football practices, which is a unique experience for many girls in any country. Savana being a part of a football team is an experience that North Little Rock football coach Jamie Mitchell is proud that he could be a part of. Savana was the first female he had ever had on a football team, and although hesitant at first because he was unsure of the dynamics of having a girl on the team, Mitchell said, Savana is a “fierce, fierce worker,” adding that she hit the weight room just as hard as any of the guys on the team and never sought out special attention. “The first time I ever saw her kick [at our first season practice], I knew she had a special talent,” Mitchell said. “She was very committed to improving on her own, and that just shows the kind of person she is.” Savana never set out to play football, but the foot strength she had gained from playing soccer since fifth grade earned her the opportunity to kick a football for the first time. Kristin said coach Jeff Brown was sharing his concern of needing a kicker, and Savana’s name came up. After setting up the football for a kick, which she nailed, the choice was obvious. With her parents’ permission, the coach gave her a jersey the following week, and she became a kicker in the ninth grade. The following year, she made the varsity team. “I never had to prove myself as a female kicker,” Savana said. “The coaches just expected me to be the best kicker I could be. I was respected and treated the same as any other player on the team.” However, this year’s preseason football camp brought news that no one on the team wanted to hear — a teammate, Cruz Carter, was diagnosed with leukemia.
Kristin said the diagnosis really hit home with Savana because of a childhood friend who had lost his battle with cancer when she was a child. It wasn’t long before she developed a plan to take action. Through Kick-It, a program of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a national volunteer-driven effort focused on raising money for childhood-cancer research, Savana dedicated her senior season to Cruz. The website Savana created as a part of ALSF allowed the community to pledge donations based on the points she kicked. She also recruited volunteers to take up collections at the games for the campaign. “She was always looking for ways to help others, and none shined brighter than what she did for her teammate Cruz,” Mitchell said. Savana set a hefty goal of $4,500 for the fundraiser. She exceeded expectations and made a donation of $6,920 in Cruz’s name at the end of the season. Throughout the process, Savana and her teammates also developed a great bond with Cruz and his family. The team visited him regularly, and Savana made sure his jersey was on display in the locker room for each game of the team’s state-championship season. Savana even took it upon herself to nominate Cruz for the CHI St. Vincent Health Award, which he received alongside Omari Hervey at the 2017 All-Arkansas Preps banquet. Coach Mitchell said he doesn’t have any idea how she fit all of her service, sports and maintaining a 3.5 GPA into her schedule, but her involvement in football was also a service to the girls and women who never thought that conquering a male-dominated sport was an option. Because of that, he nominated Savana for the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame Girls of Distinction award. “She has done so much for so many young girls that we might not even know about until later on,” Mitchell said. “She has been a trooper and a pioneer.” Even though Savana has paved the way for other girls to be involved in football, she left quite a legacy, including setting the Arkansas Activities Association record for the most consecutive extra points (68) kicked in a career. “Football has made the biggest impact on my life,” Savana said. “It has molded me into the person I am today and has taught me so much about sports and life.” After high school, Savana plans to attend Harding University in Searcy, majoring in criminal justice and continuing her soccer career at a collegiate level, but she plans to dedicate her summer to others by attending North Little Rock High School football practice to work with developing kickers and continuing projects with the Youth Council.