A Wilson High School junior has been selected as Youth of the Year by the Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading.
Samantha Martinez was recognized at the corps’ annual award ceremony last week at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts.
The youth program is an arm of VOiCEup Berks and engages over 500 Berks County students in community projects each year.
The award is given yearly to a student who has the highest level of commitment, has shown exemplary leadership skills and has advanced the program’s mission through volunteerism and creative projects.
“This program year, Samantha served over 230 hours on community projects ranging from volunteering at homeless shelters to helping develop and run summer story time and playground programs to facilitating conversations about equality and justice for groups of students in her school and adults in the community,” Christi Terefenko, executive director of VOiCEup Berks, said in a release issued Tuesday.
Since Martinez’s involvement with YVCR began five years ago, she amassed more than 500 hours of service with the program, making her the first recipient of the YVCR 500-Hour Award as well, Terefenko said.
Martinez joined the program as a sixth grader at Reading Southern Middle School. While in middle school, she worked with a group of her peers, developing projects to help underserved women and girls gain access to menstrual products, Terefenko said.
As a high school student at Wilson, Martinez became a leader of the Stand Together Against Racism, or S.T.A.R., youth-driven initiative. She also serves as a YVCR youth mental health ambassador, Terefenko said, and served her first term on the Youth Advisory Board of the Berks County Community Foundation and Youth Volunteer Corps.
“Having the opportunity to be a part of YVCR for the past five years has definitely changed my life for the better,” Martinez said in the release. “This program has not only taught me how to speak up for what’s right and be a better person, but it has also given me the chance to make lifelong friendships. I am beyond grateful to have accepted this award and hope to continue being a change maker in my community in the years to come.”
Lindsay Sites, YVCR program director, called Martinez a true leader and community changemaker.
“She is the epitome of grace, kindness and strength,” Sites said. “Her leadership skills and ability to make everyone around her feel at ease makes her light impossible to ignore.”
Five other Wilson students also were honored at this year’s ceremony: Jaida Garber, Kemi Ojikutu, Sindura Sridhar, Mia Worley and Athena Worley.
Each received the 100-in-One Award for completing more than 100 hours of service to the community through YVCR in a single program year.
In addition, Cadence Perez from Muhlenberg High School received the Heart of Youth Volunteer Corps Award, and the YVCR club of Reading’s Northeast Middle School received the YVCR Project of the Year Award for its project addressing domestic violence and supporting Safe Berks.
Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading focuses on developing leadership skills and promoting a lifetime commitment to service among youth by offering student-driven volunteer projects for youth ages 11 to 18 on Saturdays, after school, during school, virtually and through the summer. YVC of Reading, hosted by VOiCEup, is one of over 30 affiliates of Youth Volunteer Corps.
VOiCEup Berks is a fund of Berks County Community Foundation.
For more information visit www.voiceupberks.org/yvc.
Source: Berkshire mont
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