YOUTH ON THE GO
New Paltz High School student Samantha Musso earned national recognition through the 2017 President’s Volunteer Service Awards program.
The program honors Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of time to serve their communities and their country.
Samantha received a certificate and a letter from the president of the United States. The award was granted by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program.
Samantha is a member of the Capuchin Youth & Family Ministries program. She was recognized for her work on an eight-day retreat in rural Kentucky with 60other members of the ministries. The team of young workers performed manual labor, helping to rebuild a mobile home for a single father and his five children.
In a press release, Musso said she appreciates having had the opportunity to volunteer her time and labor. “We live in a bubble,” she said. “So many people don’t live life the way we do. They struggle to get meals on the table and have holes in the roof and doors that don’t shut.”
A senor, Musso said her goal is to continue participating in community service in the future. “All the schools I applied to are heavily into community service, and I plan on returning to Kentucky this summer,” she said.
Said New Paltz School District Superintendent Maria C. Rice in the release, “Students like Samantha exemplify the meaning of our District’s vision that our students become ‘citizens of the world, who are responsible, ethical, contributing, participating members of local, national and global communities who value all peoples and care about each other; who respect the environment, work to improve the society in which we live, and understand our role in it.
“Our future is in good hands with citizens like Samantha, and the many other students in our schools who value service above self,” Rice added.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, recognizes middle level and high school students nationwide for outstanding volunteer service.