Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Mitchell receives Congressional Award, medal
GRAVETTE — Madison Mitchell of Hiwasse, the daughter of Norman and Shannon Mitchell, was honored in an online ceremony Sept. 26 and awarded the Congressional Award Gold Medal.
Mitchell was one of 478 youth receiving the Congressional Award Gold Medal, but she was the only award winner from Arkansas.
Normally, Mitchell would have been invited to travel to Washington to receive her award but, due to the covid-19 pandemic, this was the program’s first online Gold Medal Ceremony.
Though not able to travel to Washington, Mitchell received a congratulatory letter from 3rd District Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers.
“I want to congratulate you for earning the Congressional Gold Medal,” Womack wrote. “You are the only student from Arkansas to achieve this level of recognition in 2020, and the honor is worthy of celebration. Through your dedicated public service in 4-H, development of workforce-related skills, fitness goal-setting to improve cheerleading ability, and personal exploration of the unique southeastern U.S. culture, you have met the qualifications for the Congressional Gold Medal. I know I join your friends and family in expressing how proud I am of your accomplishment.”
A news release from Valerie Seefeld, 4-H Youth development associate in Little Rock, states: “Benton County is proud to have Madison Mitchell of Hiwasse as Arkansas 4-H’s first Congressional Award Gold Medalist — the highest honor the United States Congress can present to America’s civilian youth.
“In over two years, Madison contributed over 418 hours of public service to her local community by delivering meals to homebound individuals, visiting nursing homes, donating baked goods for fundraisers, helping families prepare for disasters, and more,” the release states. “She also spent over 1,330 hours devoted to reaching goals she set in personal development and physical fitness. Finally, Madison organized and completed a seven-day exploration of South Carolina, where she learned self-reliance, determination, cooperation, and, critically, when to ask for help!
“Regarding the impact of the program, Madison said, ‘By participating in the Congressional Award Program, I have learned the importance of record-keeping and goal setting. Through goal setting, I see that, no matter how large the end result may be, one can work at it for a given period of time and achieve anything you set your mind to. Most importantly, I have learned that there are opportunities every day to serve others in my community.’”
The Congressional Award Gold Medal is bestowed upon a youth civilian, according to the Congressional Award website, www.congressionalaward. com. Each Gold Medalist accumulated more than 800 hours over the span of at least two years in the program areas of voluntary public service, personal development and physical fitness, in addition to planning and going on an in-depth exploration/expedition.
The online ceremony brought together the 2020 gold medalists, their loved ones, notable industry and civic leaders, and members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives to celebrate the momentous occasion.
The medalists were mailed their gold medal and ceremony gifts in time for the event. Chairman of the Congressional Award, Paxton Baker, gave online interviews of the ceremony’s special guests Wolf Blitzer, Sen. Mike Enzi and Emmitt Smith — each of whom gave words of encouragement and advice.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell both gave their congratulations to the medalists, along with remarks from a list of senators and House representatives, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Rep. Katie Porter of California, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina and Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming.
Gold medalists were also able to enter a raffle for a gift giveaway, participate in smaller networking groups led by Congressional Award board members, and see videos submitted by their peers sharing their experiences with the Congressional Award program.
The ceremony closed with online panels on four topics of interest to the medalists: women in leadership, nonprofit leadership, race relations and social justice, and entrepreneurship. Each hosted panelists that are established leaders in their respective areas, answering medalist questions and sharing their wisdom and advice.
Congress established the Congressional Award Foundation in 1979 to recognize initiative, service and achievement in young people. It began as a bipartisan effort in both the Senate and House. The original bill was sponsored by Sen. Malcolm Wallop of Wyoming and Rep. James Howard of New Jersey.
The enabling legislation, Public Law 96-114 — The Congressional Award Act, established the foundation as a private-public partnership, which receives all funding from the private sector. The legislation was originally signed into law by President Jimmy Carter and each succeeding president of the United States has continued the legislation.
Today, the Congressional Award Foundation remains Congress’ only charity. The program is non-partisan, voluntary and non-competitive. Young people may register when they turn 13 1/2 years old and must complete their activities by their 24th birthday.
Participants earn bronze, silver, and gold Congressional award certificates and bronze, silver, and gold Congressional award medals. Each level involves setting goals in four program areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration.
Earning the award is a way to get involved in local communities. It is not an award for past accomplishments. Instead, youth are honored for setting personally challenging goals and meeting needs in their communities.
The award is comprehensive and flexible. There is no minimum grade-point average requirement; it accommodates young people with special needs or disabilities, and participants complete their activities at their own pace.