The Pleasant Hill City Council and Education Commission presented the President’s Volunteer Service Award to nine students at a meeting of the City Council on Monday, January 23rd. The students, seven from College Park High School and two from Valley View Middle School, received the awards for completing a combined total of 1,070 of volunteer hours during 2016. The students performed voluntary service for many organizations including the Animal Rescue Foundation, Pleasant Hill Library, Boys Scouts, American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, and participated in after school programs and activities . Many of them also volunteered during Pleasant Hill’s annual Community Service Day, which is held each September.
College Park student, Queenie Li, who received the highest award for completing 284 volunteer service hours, focused on environmental stewardship and healthy lifestyles by helping impoverished villagers in Ningxia, China, as well as other volunteer activities locally. Queenie participated in the Global Philanthropy Leadership program, spending two weeks in a summer camp in June 2016. She traveled to a very poor and drought ridden village in Ningxia, China where she performed a variety of activities, including repairing green houses, solar panels, and wind turbines which were built by students from prior Camps. She was the team’s co-leader in the camp.
The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is a national volunteer awards program which encourages citizens to live a life of service, and offers presidential gratitude and national recognition. PVSA recognizes, celebrates and inspires volunteerism, service and citizenship in the community. The awards received by the nine recipients included a bronze, silver or gold medal depending on the number of service hours performed, a certificate of recognition with the seal of the White House and a personalized congratulatory letter from then President Barack Obama.
If you are a middle or high school student in Pleasant Hill and would like to participate in the PVSA program, please go to www.pleasanthillca.org/pvsa for more information.
Award Recipients from Valley View Middle School:
George Kadavil, Bronze Medal
Steven Kadavil, Bronze Medal
College Park High School recipients:
Alyssa Gaigalas, Bronze Medal
Jackson Thomas, Bronze Medal
Jennifer Stefanski, Silver Medal
Matthew St. Germain, Bronze Medal
Queenie Li, Gold Medal
Tawnee Doty, Silver Medal
Tina Kadavil, Bronze Medal