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The Foreign Service Youth Foundation is pleased to announce
the winners of Clements� International Award for Community
Service by a Foreign Service Youth for 2007-2008. These
awards are given annually by the Foreign Service Youth
Foundation (FSYF) to recognize Foreign Service teenagers who
demonstrate outstanding leadership in community or service
to their peers. This year there were many impressive
nominations from around the world, making the selection
process difficult. All nominees will be honored at the youth
awards ceremony, July 8 in the Benjamin Franklin Room, or at
their overseas posts when possible. First place award
winners receive $1,500 US government savings bonds
compliments of Clements International Insurance.
This year there are two first place
awards for three winners for the Clements International
Foreign Service Youth Award for Community Service. One of
the first place winners is Lucinda Joi
Chu-Ketterer, age 13, daughter of Keith and Jeanette
Chu, posted in Beijing, China. Advocating for the humane
treatment of animals, Joi successfully developed,
established and managed a sustainable trap,-neuter-release
and vaccinate (TNR) program for the stray cats at the
Embassy in Beijing, tackling a community health problem that
no one else had been able to resolve. She raised over $1200
for her project through a creative �Pi Day Auction�,
inspired by her love of mathematics. Demonstrating
sensitivity to the culture, Joi spent countless hours
educating compound employees on how to care for small
abandoned pets. She created bilingual pamphlets about
�critter care� that even the local veterinarians consulted.
Her dedicated service has crossed linguistic and cultural
barriers. .She has demonstrated a selfless dedication to
animal welfare. She has shown leadership, originality and
effectiveness in bringing about positive change in her
community, one animal at a time.
Alissa Jones, age
16, and Sarah Jones, age 14, daughters of
Daniel and Darla Jones, also are awarded first place.
Posted to a small post in
Gaborone, Botswana, the sisters found that they were not
going to have the lives of typical teenagers. Rather than
sulking, the girls sought out ways to serve communities in
need at every opportunity. Carrying on the American
tradition of crocheting, Sarah and Alisa made four receiving
blankets by hand and took them to a local hospital for the
babies. They were shocked by the conditions at the hospital.
Learning that most of the babies who left the hospital were
wrapped in newspaper if anything at all, the girls decided
to ensure that each baby that left the hospital would have a
blanket while they were at post. They solicited assistance
from friends, strangers, churches and companies. Through
their efforts, over 600 babies, so far, have left blankets.
The significant impact of these blankets for the women and
babies of Botswana cannot be understated. True ambassadors
of American compassion and generosity, they also delivered
blankets to a local orphanage and made arrangements to have
blankets delivered to outlying impoverished villages. Many
organizations have expressed a great desire to continue the
project indefinitely. This however only touches on the Jones
sisters� community service achievements.. The girls are
involved in volunteering at the Embassy community, their
church community and they volunteer at the drama academy.
Alisa and Sarah have been inspiration to people of all ages
all around the world. They have displayed social consciences
far beyond their years and have been willing to take action,
rather than just wish for others to help the needy.
Abigail Golledge,
age 18, daughter of Robert and Susan Golledge
of Accra, Ghana, received the "Highly Commendable" award.
Abigail is new to Foreign Service life yet maintains a
lifelong commitment to community service and helping others
whenever and where ever she can. When Abigail learned she
would be moving to Ghana, she embraced the change and
searched for a way to connect her �old home� with her �new
home�. She developed the idea of collecting crayons and
other art supplies to bring the underprivileged schools and
orphanages. She organized an outreach campaign to the
schools, church and businesses in her home town. She has
collected and shipped over one thousand pounds of art
supplies to Ghana and traveled to the rural villages to
distribute the crayons. The simplicity of the gesture has
had a remarkable impact on the lives of these children and
provided hours of smiles. Additionally, as vice president of
the community service committee at her school, Abigail
visited a local orphanage weekly and took part in Habitat
for Humanity, each time demonstrating her extraordinary
capacity for compassion and caring. As senior class
president, she spearheaded many activities to raise school
spirit. Abbi wrote for the Wings of AWAL Foreign Service
teen newsletter and created a �Dear Abbi� column for the
newsletter. Abbi has made giving of her time and energy to
others unselfishly to others a way of life. She has been an
inspiration to us all by showing us how a little effort can
go a long way.
Click here to read the
rules.
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