2015 YOUTH ALLIANCE AWARDS PROGRAM CELEBRATES LOCAL YOUTH
Contact: Kristin Cates
Marketing & Special Events Director
Volunteer Center of East Central Wisconsin
Date: Thursday, April 23, 2015
2015 YOUTH ALLIANCE AWARDS PROGRAM CELEBRATES LOCAL YOUTH
Volunteer Center of East Central Wisconsin Holds Award Ceremony that Celebrates Local Youth Volunteers
Appleton, Wis. – The Volunteer Center of East Central Wisconsin presented Youth Alliance Awards during the
22nd Annual Youth Alliance Awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 22 at Liberty Hall with Bill Jartz as Master of
Ceremonies. The Fox Cities Youth Alliance Awards seek to recognize the spirit of volunteerism as found in the
future leaders of our community and to encourage young people and adults to take hold of that same spirit in their
own lives. A young person nominated must be in grades 1 through 12 and the service provided must benefit the
greater Fox Valley region.
28 individuals and 11 groups of youth volunteers received recognition for their ability to make a difference in our
community.
Each nominee was recognized and given a certificate for their service. One overall individual winner and overall
group were chosen to receive the Fox Cities Youth Alliance Award.
The individual winner was Paige Kipping. Paige is currently a child care volunteer at Harbor House and started
volunteering in 2013. She plays, reads, colors and pretends with children while their mothers attend support
groups. In 2014 our community lost a dedicated Harbor House volunteer by the name Ali. Paige & Ali volunteered
together and often discussed their ideas for the child care room and what could be done to make it more inviting &
colorful. After Ali passed away, Paige helped others & spent hours refreshing the child care room in honor of Ali,
Including purchasing supplies, painting rooms and rearranging existing furniture.
All 2015 individual nominees: Elizabeth Ahles, Olivia Allen, Eric Anderson, Meghan Baumler, Brian Blasczyk,
Mariah Bloom, Kate Cichon, Morgan Dohms, Rachel Esker, Charlie Fischer, Alyse Franck, Randall Griesbach,
Claire Hitter, Parker Hunstiger, Mikayla Janse, Megan Kimball, Paige Kipping, Anna Kopetsky, Jaia Lor, Jesus
Martinez, Ally Molinski, Cole Romenesko, Alexsia Saldaris, Mikayla Schmidt, Jordan Schmitting, Alexis Shannon,
Adelle Sturgell, and Grant Verhagen.
The group winner was the Freedom High School Carpe Diem Division of the National Honor Society. For almost
15 years, the students have been a vital workforce for the Housing Partnership, assisting them with painting, wall
repair, detailed cleaning, appliance removal and installation, landscaping, and basic construction. They diligently
work long days, sometimes doing very detailed jobs, all to ensure that their newly purchased houses are
transformed into homes. With almost 40 students giving 8 hours of their time once a quarter, the Freedom NHS
group annually provides over 1,280 hours of renovation and rehabilitation services for the Housing Partnership.
Over the past 15 years, they have volunteered over 19,000 hours of support to the organization.
All 2015 group nominees: Alyshia & Brittany Giesen, Appleton East DECA, Appleton East Key Club, Appleton
North High School Special Education Class, Foster Boys & Girls Club Volunteers, Freedom High School Carpe
Diem Division of the National Honor Society, Kimberly High School Integrated Studies Program, Little Chute
Career Pathways Academy, Secret Service Club, St. Mary Central High School, and YouthGo Community Service
Club.
The Youth Alliance Awards are presented by The Volunteer Center of East Central Wisconsin and sponsored by
Capital Credit Union, BOLDT Company and Cellcom.
The Volunteer Center of East Central Wisconsin provides connections to volunteer opportunities throughout
the Fox Valley Region. Please visit www.VolunteerCenter.net for more information. If you would like more
information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Kristin Cates, please call the Volunteer Center of
East Central WI at 920-832-9360 or e-mail kristin.cates@volunteercenter.net.
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