In conjunction with the United States Conference of Mayors, Mayor Don Plusquellic will honor this year’s top, young volunteers on National & Global Youth Service Day, Tuesday, April 11 at 7 p.m. at Akron’s downtown Main Library.

The special evening begins with a reception at 6:30 complete with live music provided by the Firestone Wednesday Jazz Combo from Firestone High School.

The program’s guest speaker this year is Eric Mansfield. Eric anchors the 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Akron Canton News on Time Warner Cable and is a graduate of the Akron Public Schools and a major in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Below are some of the award winners and descriptions of their service prepared by the service organizations:

 Asja began her volunteer work four years ago and has since served in various positions including recreation assistant, mentor, and clerical intern.  She volunteers throughout the summer, Monday through Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in our Summer Youth Program.  She assists with teaching life skills and assisting on field trips.  She also prepares documents and answers phones.

Asja’s volunteering efforts save the church money that would go to pay to employ a recreational aide and clerical assistant.  Her age and accomplishments are also beneficial in what she does for us.  The kids in our program enjoy her presence and look up to her.  She is dedicated and has volunteered longer than any of our other volunteers.

What makes this young woman so special is that she is the mother of a one year old; she graduates from high school and is going off to college in the fall.  Asja deserves to be recognized for her contributions to our program and to the Kenmore and to Akron communities.

Abbie was a volunteer counselor for Sumfun, a day camp for handicapped young people. She supervised the youngsters, helped with activities and dealt with emotional as they arose.  Abbie also worked with those in charge of Superkids Soap Box Derby for handicapped youngsters, getting food, cheering the contestants and running the heat board. Abbie has also helped mentally handicapped adults enjoy themselves square dancing at the suburban south mentally challenged program. She also helped paint houses for the elderly and handicapped.

Abbie’s volunteerism helps these programs continue to provide vital serves to the handicapped. Without volunteers such as Abbie, these services would not run smoothly or may even have to be discontinued.

Abbie has brought joy to many and is a great example of a teen interested in helping others.

Youth volunteers of the Williard Food Pantry come from many parts of the community. Some are members of our church, but many are from other churches and schools nearby.   These dedicated young people give of their time during summer vacation and their Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.  They put together food baskets so that those in need might have food for their families.

June through August, young people take the place of many adults who then are able to take the summer off.  While they are at the food pantry they unload the truck after it comes from the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank.  They stock the shelves, put up orders for clients, and pack any bulk food that they have. Many even carry out some of the orders for clients who need help.

This past summer, some of the students have taken on the job of painting walls at the pantry to make it a brighter place to work.  These young people are very important to our church and its inner-city mission.

The students in the Schools In Program volunteer the fourth Wednesday every month with our agency’s food distribution to needy families. They load and unload food from the food bank, they stock supplies for counting and then pack the food into grocery bags for distribution. Because of these young people, our agency does not have to seek other volunteers or pay someone to handle food distribution. Their volunteerism also enables the Urban League to use funding in other areas and minimizes the overall workload of agency staff.

These young people are dedicated. They give of their time to help others and they do it happily. Always willing to help, they are dependable and always go above and beyond the call of duty.