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March 7, 2003/Adar2 3 5763, Vol. 55, No. 28
JWI recognizes outstanding youth
JESSICA BARBER
Staff Writer
Jewish Women International honored five local youths with the organization's Volunteer Youth Awards on Feb. 17. Recipients include, from left, Gibran Villalobos, Rachel Sacks, Miriam Gurevich and Lindsay Keeler. Not pictured is Alana Thomas.
Photo by Susan Frank
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Jewish Women International has recognized five Valley youths for their outstanding contributions of community service and volunteer work.
The JWI Volunteer Youth Awards were presented to Miriam Gurevich, Rachel Sacks, Gibran Villalobos, Alana Thomas and Lindsay Keeler on Feb. 17. The award includes a certificate and a $200 prize, says JWI member Kae Knight.
"One was involved with Hospice (of the Valley), another with politics in Glendale and others put together organizations for kids to help kids," says Knight. "These kids are really outstanding and they did a lot of stuff from their hearts."
Applications for the awards were mailed to high schools throughout the Valley, says Knight. The five winners were selected from about 30 applicants.
"The applications were judged by an anonymous judge first, read through and then given to a panel of six judges," says Knight.
Applicants were then interviewed in person to discuss their volunteer work.
"A lot of the process was based on how they presented themselves and explained what they had done," says Knight. "There is a difference between reading something and actually hearing about how it was done."
Miriam Gurevich, a 17-year-old Desert Mountain high school student, volunteered her time with "Consulting Kids," a group that supports the Make A Wish Foundation.
"I initiated the club (at my school)," says Gurevich. "We've done a whole bunch of different fund raisers. We've done a couple of car washes and we're planning other competitions and contests."
Gurevich and other team members donate all proceeds to the Make A Wish Foundation and plan to visit the children they are sponsoring at the end of the school year.
Rachel Sacks, another JWI honoree, has been volunteering for several years. Most recently, Sacks served as a teen volunteer at Hospice of the Valley.
"I talk to patients and help the nurses," says Sacks. "I also visit with family and check on how everyone is doing."
The 16-year-old senior at Saguaro High School has also served as a teen group facilitator for "Stepping Up" and has volunteered with the City of Scottsdale and St. Vincent De Paul.
Gibran Villalobos, a 17-year-old student at Glendale High School, volunteered for community action programs in the City of Glendale. He participated in the One Book Arizona program in April 2002, sponsored by the state library.
"I'm part of the library advisory board, the first teenage member to have a chair in the committee," says Gibran. "I brought it to my school and we had a reading rally with prominent community figures coming to read with us. We had the largest turnout in the whole state."
The awards ceremony, held at Continental Villas West in Phoenix, was highlighted by a speech from Harry Adler, the recent recipient of the Dorothy Pickelner Enduring Legacy Award from the Arizona Jewish Historical Society. Adler received the award in recognition of a lifetime of volunteerism and community contributions.
"He's a well-known volunteer in the community," says Knight. "We felt he would be an excellent role model to explain how important volunteerism is to one's self and to the community. It's a two-way street. You get pleasure from it and you are giving a great deal."
The JWI Youth Volunteer Awards have been presented to five high school students yearly since 2000.
"Some have tried to say that these kids are outstanding, but they are beyond outstanding," says Knight. "It's amazing what they have been able to do."
Gurevich was pleased about winning the award.
"I was really surprised that I got picked because everyone was really outstanding," she says. "I was very excited and proud."
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