Youth Challenge honors top teen volunteers

The Youth Challenge Dance and Drama program will kick off the season with a Holiday Show on Dec. 14 at Magnificat High School’s Performing Arts Center. The event will also include a Volunteer Recognition to honor the year’s top teen volunteers.

Youth Challenge offers free, year-round programs to over 160 participants throughout the Greater Cleveland area. The participants are children with such disabilities as muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and hearing or vision impairments. Transportation to and from programs is also provided at no charge. 

Dance and Drama is one of 350 programs that Youth Challenge offers each year thanks to the help of over 400 teen volunteers who gave over 10,500 hours of service. The teen volunteers are trained to work with children with physical disabilities and are paired one-on-one with participants at each program.

Special recognition will be given to volunteers who have reached the levels of 25, 50 and 100 hours in 2014. Teens who reached the milestones of 100, 250 and 500 hours of cumulative service to Youth Challenge will be honored as well.

The top 10 Youth Challenge teen volunteers of 2014 are: Kendra Cundiff, junior, St. Joseph Academy, 256 hours; Zac Alberty, junior, North Olmsted HS, 234 hours; Olivia Rivard, junior, St. Joseph Academy, 195.5 hours; Maya Cundiff, sophomore, St. Joseph Academy, 187 hours; Summer Ohman, freshman, Fairview High School, 158 hours; Halle Mackert, senior, Westlake High School, 128 hours; Teresa DePace, senior, Valley Forge High School, 123 hours; Bill Bis, freshman, Miami University (Westlake HS grad), 116 hours; Nick Morris, senior, St. Edward High School, 115 hours; Marisa Francis, freshman, Gallaudet University (Lakewood HS grad), 107 hours.

“Our teen volunteers are half of our mission and are truly what make Youth Challenge possible,” said Sarah Perez-Stable, Director of Volunteer Services. “The energy, joy, fun and friendship they bring to their partners makes an incredible difference in the lives of our participants and we can’t thank them enough.”

The Holiday Show and Volunteer Recognition is Sunday, Dec. 14, 2-5 p.m. at the Magnificat Performing Arts Center, 20770 Hilliard Blvd. in Rocky River. For more information, visit www.youthchallengesports.com or call 440-892-1001.

 

Kathy Rigdon

is the Media Specialist for Youth Challenge in Westlake.

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Volume 6, Issue 25, Posted 9:44 AM, 12.09.2014