Georgetown mayor recognizes youth for community service projects

Students from Indian River High School, The Jefferson School, and Sussex Technical High School were recognized by Georgetown Mayor Bill West for their outstanding service in the community through Phase 1 of the LEAD360 Challenge. This year in Delaware, there was a total of 41 service projects submitted statewide.

The Town of Georgetown’s five projects engaged 1,200 volunteers, contributed 126 hours of service, and impacted 246,121 lives. This had a financial impact of $2,841 to the Town of Georgetown and the surrounding areas. All five individual and group projects that were submitted to the challenge were recognized by West during the April 8 Town Council meeting in Town Hall.

The LEAD360 Challenge was launched nationally by the Jefferson Awards Foundation in 2010. The focus of LEAD360 is to recognize outstanding youth service projects that help make the world a better place. The challenge works with mayors and youth-focused organizations across the country to shine a positive spotlight on student-led community service initiatives.

In Phase 2 of the LEAD360 Challenge, three national youth projects are being activated in the areas of hunger and poverty, health and wellness, and education and literacy. Brittany Amano founded the nonprofit The Future Isn’t Hungry, which packs bags with nutritious shelf-stable foods and provides recipes for healthy meals.

Wesley Boone’s organization, Gear Going Global, collects new and gently used athletic equipment for children who have none. Patricia Manubay’s idea is to create dream boxes filled with new and gently used school supplies, books, and a dream journal so all kids can go to school with the supplies and the encouragement they need to follow their dreams. To participate in these projects, more information can be found at lead360.jeffersonawards.org.

West said, “LEAD360 and youth service continue to move forward and have a growing impact on communities and young adults within Delaware. Council and I are pleased to recognize the young adult community for their commitment and dedication to making Georgetown a better place. It's very important to have young adults committed to becoming leaders and role models for others.”

Sam Beard, president and co-founder of the Jefferson Awards, said, “This is the fifth year of LEAD360. Our goal is to inspire students to lead in service. Once again, Delaware has distinguished itself by these great projects.”

The Jefferson School Student Council chose to participate in a fundraiser called Stuff the Bus during November. Partnering with DART First State and the Food Bank of Delaware, they collected 913.2 pounds of food to donate to those in need.

The Jefferson School also joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society fundraiser Pennies for Patients. They collected coins during January, and the money raised was donated to research initiatives to advance therapies and help save lives. They exceeded their goal of $800 by nearly three times, collecting over $2,100.

The school also supported the Seaford House, a residential and day treatment center for teens in Seaford. They collected gifts for each teen during the holidays, provided each with a care package including linens and a letter of encouragement, and collaborated with the teens on a collage that hangs in the Seaford House activity room.

Emma Rider of Sussex Technical High School started a shoe drive to collect shoes for the organization WaterStep, which sells them to small business owners overseas or recycles them domestically. Profits are used for education, training, and providing clean water.

It takes about 4,000 pairs of shoes to install one water chlorinator, and since 2010, Rider has collected over 100,000 pairs of shoes and filled her fifth tractor trailer to date. Through her efforts, Rider was recognized as the National LEAD360 winner in 2014.

The Indian River High School Student Council held a food drive during December to donate to Home of the Brave, a homeless shelter for veterans in Milford. They collected a total of 800 nonperishable food items.

For more information go to www.JeffersonAwards.org.