Released: March 28, 2006

Leavenworth County Teen Honored For Volunteer Efforts

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Leavenworth County 4-H member Lauren Hoge was recently named Kansas’ Top Middle School Volunteer for 2006 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program for a 4-H Leadership project that she did last year.

Hoge, who enjoys reading, collected more than 375 books for Safehome: “Support for Survivors of Domestic Violence,” in her community. Based in Overland Park, Safehome is a shelter program designed to keep victims of domestic violence safe while giving them time to start over.

After visiting one of the shelters, the 14-year-old said that she noticed the home’s lack of books and decided that she wanted to give them a library.

Reading a good book can make everything else seem to disappear for a while, she said. The women and children can use the books as a way to escape when they feel scared.

To collect the books, Hoge made flyers asking for donations and posted them throughout her community and received about 250 donations. She also contacted Scholastic Books, which donated 125 books.

“I think that it is really neat that people got together to help battered women and children,” Hoge said.

By earning the award, Hoge received a $1,000 scholarship, an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., a medal and the chance to win another $10,000 through the National Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program.

“Lauren is a very young dynamic leader,” said Beth Hecht, Kansas State University Research and Extension 4-H youth development agent in Leavenworth County. “I think she’s just scraping the surface of her leadership potential and I can’t wait to see what great things she will do in the future.”

Hecht had encouraged Hoge and other Leavenworth County 4-H members who show strong leadership skills, to apply for the statewide award last year.

Hoge advises other young people who would like to volunteer in their communities to choose whatever you like best and find a way to use it to help someone else.

This year, Hoge said that she plans to build a bookshelf where the shelter can store their new books.

The award program was created in 1995 by Prudential Financial and honors young people at the middle school and high school levels for exceptional volunteer service in their communities.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals is also a supporter of the program, which has honored more than 70,000 youth in the past 11 years, according to the Prudential Financial Web site, www.prudential.com/spirit. Information on how to apply for next year’s awards program and guidelines can also be found at the Web site.

More information on Kansas 4-H is available at county or district K-State Research and Extension offices or on the 4-H Web site: www.kansas4h.org.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Leah Bond
lbond@ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News