In it for the community
8 earn President’s Volunteer
VOLUNTEERISM
The contributions of youth volunteers can be too easily overlooked or dismissed, but a group of Berks County teens has been recognized by the highest office in the nation.
Eight Berks youths have been honored with the President’s Volunteer Service Award for their extraordinary commitment to community service through the Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading, a program hosted by VOiCEup Berks.
“It’s hard to be taken seriously in trying to make meaningful contributions to the community, especially because we don’t have high-end jobs or anything,” said Sindura Sridhar, one of those selected for the prestigious award.
She and the other recipients were recognized for their leadership, commitment and profound impact on their community.
The award categories are based on the number of hours served and age of the recipient.
The following are the local winners:
• Bronze award: Sridhar, 16; Jaida Garber, 18; and Kemi Ojikutu, 16.
• Silver award: Alia Hollock, 16; Ellie Hook, 14; Mia Worley, 16; and Samantha Martinez, 16.
• Gold award: Athena Worley, 15.
All live within the Wilson School District. Hook is a student at Berks Catholic High School. Garber, a Wilson High School graduate, is a student at the University of Pittsburgh. The others attend Wilson High School.
Though the girls often collaborate on service projects, each has areas of special interest.
Ojikutu is a leader of the YVC’s Stand Together
Against Racism, or STAR, program. She leads Wilson’s STAR group and works to raise awareness of important topics, including racism and other forms of prejudice.
“STAR is a youth-founded and youth-led initiative,” she said. “So it’s all from our hearts, the need for justice. We take that and we channel it into this project.”
She and the team, which includes Martinez and Sridhar, started clubs in schools throughout the district.
“And we’ve really tried to do as many (community) events as possible to get the message out there that we don’t stand with racism,” Ojikutu noted.
Martinez, who in August was selected Youth of the Year by YVC, served over 230 hours on community projects ranging from STAR initiatives to volunteering at homeless shelters to helping develop and run summer story-time and playground programs.
Sridhar earned some of her hours by serving on YVC’s Youth Advisory Board.
“The Youth Advisory Board is a group of students from districts across the county, who come together,” she said. “We learn about different injustices in our area. And then, based on what we’ve learned, we do a service project that benefits the community, and we also fund grants to other organizations that may need it and specialize in our focus area.”
Worley serves on YVC’s Youth Mental Health Ambassador
board.
“We focus with youth across all of our county on mental health awareness,” she said, “and we work on different projects.”
Her sister, Mia Worley, earned many of her service hours working on a project called Canstructure, a structure-building competition aimed at fighting hunger.
Teams of youth from elementary through high school compete to build structures made entirely from cans of food collected during youth food drives.
“At the end of it,” she said, “all the food goes to the food bank (Helping Harvest) and it helps people with food insecurity in our area.”
Sridhar said she and the other honorees are grateful for the opportunities provided by YVC and the corps’ advisors, who support them in their various projects.
“This (YVC) is really an outlet for us to serve our community,” Sridhar said, “and we’ve created great friendships together by doing this very well.”
The President’s Volunteer Service Award is a prestigious national recognition program presented on behalf of the president. It acknowledges individuals who have demonstrated an unwavering dedication to volunteerism and service.