by Emily Wemhoff
The Mother Evelyn O’Neill Award, which will be given March 5, will honor students and adults in the STA community for their service contributions. Mother O’Neill was the superior of STA from 1908 to 1916. She was responsible for moving STA from its downtown location to its 5600 Main St. home, despite obstacles and a lack of funds. O’Neill is most remembered for helping construct the M&A building. This year, six student finalists have been nominated for the prestigious award.
The Finalists:
Senior Carrie Hudson
WHERE: “I did my junior/senior service project at Children’s Mercy Hospital,” Hudson said. “I get to work with child life specialists, which is what I want to do. Child life specialists usually work in children’s hospitals, and they basically work to make sure that the patients feel like normal kids. I’m on the Teen Advisory Board for Just Like You Films, which is a local film company whose mission statement is to create an environment of acceptance. I was featured in the film about kids with cancer. The other films feature pediatric burn victims and kids with Down syndrome. Basically, the films were made to explain to pediatric patients’ classmates their classmate’s condition. I am also the Leawood team leader for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. In the past six years, I’ve led the stand that has raised over $12,000. I get all my friends to come and help.”
HOW MANY HOURS: “It usually depends because of school. For the lemonade stand, I usually put about 40 hours total into it each year,” Hudson said. “With Just Like You, it also depends because sometimes we have meetings, PR events and premieres”.
HOW YOU GOT STARTED: “I love volunteering at Children’s Mercy because it does relate back to my major and what I want to do for the rest of my life,” Hudson said. “I want to be fully immersed in that world so that I can be successful when I enter that profession.”
WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF YOUR SERVICE: “I love seeing the kids, especially at the hospital when you make a kid smile and you get to see their eyes get really bright,” Hudson said. “When I volunteered at Children’s Mercy in the burn unit, there was a little girl who came to us every day and we would help her with coloring. At the end of the week when we had to leave, she was so sad. It just made me happy knowing that we had made her so much happier that week and made the smallest difference in her life.”
SPECIAL MEMORY: “I was speaking at a prayer service at Cure of Ars to talk about a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society,” Hudson said. “There was a representative there from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She recognized me from the film I was in with Just Like You. It was this moment that I realized, ‘People actually watch these films,’ and it was just so surreal.”
IF I WIN: “I got to meet with the other nominees, and I think all of them have a strong chance,” Hudson said. “It’s a good selection. I would be so honored [to win the award.]”
Senior Amanda Koch
WHERE: “Children’s Therapeutic Learning Center, who provides educational and therapeutic services to young children with disabilities,” Koch said. “Over the last four years, I have provided about 500 volunteer hours helping with classroom activities. I also participate in music ministry at Good Shepherd Catholic Church. I also serve as a member of the leadership team for the high school youth group Oasis.For the National Catholic Youth Conference, I auditioned and was selected to be an animator, which were the prayer, worship and song leaders on the stage. During the conference, I shared a real-life story about a boy named ‘Alex’ who committed suicide as a result of bullying.”
HOW MANY HOURS: “About four to five hours each week at my home parish, Good Shepherd,” Koch said. “During the summer, I was at Children’s Therapeutic Learning Center about 16 hours each week.”
HOW YOU GOT STARTED: “I love working with young kids and helping them learn and gain new skills,” Koch said.
WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF SERVICE: “Seeing the joy on the faces of the kids is rewarding,” Koch said. “They are all so loving.”
SPECIAL MEMORY: “During NCYC, I remember feeling very proud of my efforts to share [Alex’s] story and increase awareness of bullying,” Koch said. “At Children’s TLC, the children and the teachers made a special gift for me. All the kids put their handprints in the shape of a flower.”
IF I WIN: “I would be extremely honored and humbled,” Koch said.
Junior Madison Fitzgerald
WHERE: I do most of my service through an organization called the Youth Volunteer Corps of [Greater] Kansas City,” Fitzgerald said. “They are a non-profit organization that seeks to involve youth ages 11 to 18 in volunteering. YVCKC has several programs that I participate in, but a majority of my hours come from their summer program. Through YVCKC, I have volunteered at an assisted living center, a nursing home, an organic farm, a neighborhood association, a daycare center, an animal shelter, a food pantry, parks, a thrift store, a transitional housing program and nature sanctuaries. I like to vary my service because I think that the Kansas City area has a variety of needs that are equally important. At school, I tutor and teacher aide for [choir teacher Greg] Monsma.”
HOW MANY HOURS: “Every week at school, I tutor for one period and teacher aide for about three,” Fitzgerald said. “My YVCKC hours depend on the time of year. During the summer, I can serve up to 24 hours in a week. During the school year, it depends on my schedule outside of school. The flexibility that they offer is great because I am super busy. I am also on a YVCKC youth advisory board that meets at least once every month. I have volunteered through YVCKC for six years and been on the Youth Advisory Board for five years.”
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED: “I like the flexibility and variety of service that YVCKC offers,” Fitzgerald said. “I have met a lot of really cool people and have a lot of fun. I actually met a few of my STA classmates through YVCKC before high school.”
WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF SERVICE: “Knowing that I have made a difference in someone else’s life,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s directly impacting my community and helping those who need it. At the end of a project, I am always proud of all the work I have done.”
SPECIAL MEMORY: “Last summer,I volunteered for four days at a no-kill animal shelter called Unleashed,” Fitzgerald said. “The day I began volunteering was also the day a dog named Elizabeth came to the shelter. She had separation anxiety issues and was super hyper. [Junior] Shelby Hawkins and I tried to take her for a walk, but she literally ran circles around us. Later that day, I sat and petted Elizabeth for about an hour, trying to calm her down. When I walked her the next day, she was still skittish, but she had calmed down a lot. It was hard to leave after the last day, but I knew I had helped her acclimate to her new surroundings. I really wanted to adopt her, but I didn’t know what my two cats would do if I brought a dog home. Or what my parents would say.”
IF I WIN: “I would feel really honored,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s an honor just to be in the group of finalists!”
Senior Sibel Alpakin
WHERE: “Right now, I just volunteer for Community Local Investment Commission every Tuesday and help take care of anywhere from 4 to 9 toddlers/babies for about two hours while their parents have a meeting,” Alpakin said. “In the past I’ve volunteered with North Kansas City Hospital helping to file papers [as well as with] Youth Volunteer Corps and Synergy Services, where I helped with childcare, organizing and making dinner. I also volunteer for The Children’s Place, which is where I do my service project.”
HOW MANY HOURS: “During the school year, I just volunteer two hours a week,” Alpakin said.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED: “I’ve been volunteering with Community LINC for almost two years now,” Alpakin said. “I love kids and hope to work with them in a similar way professionally, so that’s what drew me there. I was volunteering through YVC over the summer two years ago and we were helping Community LINC remodel a basement, which was honestly not very fun, but I found that I really liked the Community LINC. They help homeless families get back on their feet by providing counseling and shelter. About two months later, I filled in one of their volunteer application forms, and a few weeks later, I started volunteering there.”
WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF SERVICE: “The knowledge that I’m able to lend a hand to someone who needs it,” Alpakin said.
SPECIAL MEMORY: “When I first started volunteering for LINC, I helped another person tutor 2nd to 5th graders, which was challenging, but still fun,” Alpakin said. “One day the other person didn’t come and I was in charge of the class. I was terrified and the kids knew it, but they didn’t take advantage of my floundering attempts at tutoring that day. Instead, they took pity and tried to help me. It was sweet.”
IF I WIN: “If I win the award, I would be shocked, flattered and thrilled, but shocked,” Alpakin said.
Junior Molly Woolery
WHERE: “Youth Volunteer Corp (YVC) during the summers,” Woolery said. “YVC sends groups of teens all over the KC area to work on projects for a wide range of nonprofits,” Woolery said. “I enjoy working at the Kansas City Community Kitchen, which is also my service agency. I also volunteer at Emanuel Cleaver Child Day Care Center,where I play with and teach the kids. During the summer of 2012, I volunteered in Belize for three weeks, where I stayed in a village and helped build a fence around a local school.”
HOW MANY HOURS: “It’s hard to volunteer during the school weeks,” Woolery said. “However, I try my best to volunteer through things like Rotary Interact Club or if STA needs volunteers for open houses, I also try to help out.”
HOW DID YOU START GETTING INVOLVED: “I have done YVC for many summers now,” Woolery said. “YVC is awesome because they offer different agencies, and that is how I got interested in Kansas City Community Kitchen. [Kansas City Community Kitchen] provides support to needs all over the Kansas City area.”
WHAT IS MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF SERVICE: “Knowing that I helped someone else in need,” Woolery said. “Here at STA, we are so blessed, so I find it especially important and gratifying to give back. On my Belize trip, when we finished our project, the villagers were so appreciative because our hard work on the fence protected the children from the livestock and cars.”
SPECIAL MEMORY: “By going to Belize, I was able to volunteer and build a fence, but also create connections with the villagers,” Woolery said. “I still communicate with my host family, who had 10 children in a small house, but they were so sweet and caring.”
IF I WIN: “I would be honored,” Woolery said. “I’m already so humbled to be considered with these dedicated girls that are also doing great work.”
Freshman Maureen Whittaker
WHERE: “I mostly help at Shawnee Mission Medical Center at the [Lee Ann Britain] Infant Development Center, which is a school for kids with special needs,” Whittaker said.
HOW MANY HOURS: “During the summer, I normally do around seven hours a week, but during the school year, I don’t do as many,” Whittaker said.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED: “I’ve been involved [at the Lee Ann Britain Infant Development Center]” for about two years, but just recently I’ve been ‘officially’ volunteering,” Whittaker said. “My brother went to school there because he has Down’s syndrome, and I always liked working with kids like him.”
WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF SERVICE: “Definitely seeing those little kids smile all the time,” Whittaker said.
SPECIAL MEMORY: “When I was little, after school, my mom and I would always pick up my brother from IDC and we would always stop and talk to everyone,” Whittaker said. “When I came back about five years later last summer, the same people were still there working, and it was just good to see them again.”
IF I WIN: “I would actually be in complete shock, but also honored,” Whittaker said.
