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Dreier Honors Youth Volunteers

SAN DIMAS, CA – Congressman David Dreier (R-San Dimas, CA) honored the efforts of young volunteers at his 2011 Youth Volunteer Award (YVA) Program.  Fifty-six high school students from throughout the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire participated in this year’s program.  In addition to the winner and runners-up, each of the program’s participants were recognized for their service to the community.

“In these difficult economic times, volunteers have a greater impact.  The fact that so many young people are making time to assist people within their communities is inspiring.  Meeting them and hearing their stories was informative as well,” Dreier said.  “Through their hard work and dedication, these students provide an excellent example of what it means to give back and bring attention to causes that need help in our community.  I congratulate them on their efforts.”

Dreier began the annual award program in 1986 to honor area high school students for their volunteer community service.  To participate in the YVA Program, students were required to submit an application, write an essay on volunteerism, and provide a letter of recommendation.  They were then interviewed by a board of community leaders about their volunteer activities.  A full list of the winners, runners up and participants is below.  For more information on the YVA Program or its participants, please contact Congressman Dreier’s San Dimas office.

Winner             
The 2011 YVA Program winner is Jenny Sim from Walnut.  She attends the Webb Schools of California in Claremont.  Her first exposure to volunteerism was as a sixth-grader when she first encountered the world of Habitat for Humanity.  Initially, she was dragged there to help her sister out, but by the time they drove home, she knew she wanted to continue this mission of mercy.  Habitat allowed her to see the beauty and importance of home, and by giving of yourself you gain so much more.  Among the many tasks she performs for Habitat for Humanity, is donation outreach, land cleanup, family selection orientation, and facilitating numerous meetings and committees.  Another of her passions is working with the kids at Lowell A. Haynes Boys Home where she leads them in activities ranging from origami project leader to baking cookies, to running arts and crafts sessions. 

1st Runner Up
The 2011 YVA Program 1st Runner Up is Nicole Clark from San Dimas.  She attends Claremont High School.  She is the current president of her chapter of Simply Savant, a non-profit organization that has worked through Build a Library to raise an average of $150 for each of 22 libraries, built over 50 bookshelves and provided 10,000 books all over southern California.  She also teaches summer classes at Camp Savant to members of the club for free and has served as the director of the club branch of Pomona. 

2nd Runner-Up
The 2011 YVA Program 2nd Runner Up is Isaac Kuo from San Gabriel.  He attends Maranatha High School in Pasadena.  He serves as National Chapter Vice President of Simply Savant and as project manager for Savant's Build a Library Project.  In that role, he has helped write, edit and proofread all three curriculums for Camp Savant.  In total, he is dedicated over 1000 hours to Camp Savant in just the past year.  He was also involved in the 24 hour American Cancer Society event that helped raise awareness and money for cancer research.  Isaac is also active in his church's youth group and has devoted his own time to providing area homeless with food and water.

3rd Runner-Up
Cara Ablett from Upland is a 3rd Runner Up for the 2011 YVA Program.  She attends Upland High School.  Cara has been involved with the Girl Scouts for the past 10 years.  She has volunteered at the Upland Women's Club, the Family Foothill Shelter, and along the way, achieved her Girl Scout Gold Award.  Eventually, she had the opportunity to work with her role model and hero Erin Gruwell, the teacher of the Freedom Writers whose diary entries became a New York bestseller and a Hollywood film.  Cara set a goal to raise money for the Freedom Writers Scholarship Foundation for first generation students.  She spent over 70 hours working on this project and successfully raised over $7500 for the scholarship foundation.

Michael Choi from La Cañada Flintridge is also a 3rd Runner Up for the 2011 YVA Program.  He attends La Cañada High School.  In his freshman year he joined Friends of Veterans of the Korean War Association for which he helped raise donations.  He serves as the leader of the youth department for the organization.  He is also a member of the Red Cross Club, through which he has led his peers in a multitude of activities ranging from Relay for Life, Heal the Bay, and AIDS Walk.  Michael is also a proud recent graduate on the Los Angeles Sheriffs Explorer Program.  His volunteer plans this year include staffing for the Red Cross Leadership Summer.

Anthony Rosatti from San Dimas is also a 3rd Runner Up for the 2011 YVA Prorgam.  He attends Damien High School in La Verne.  Since his sophomore year, he has been a part of his school's Tijuana Mission Project for which he has performed 416 hours of service.  There are four branches of the project that carry out different tasks, including recycling, clothes sorting, food and clothes runs, and the Summer building trip-Anthony participated in all of them and maintained a leadership role.  At the project’s conclusion, they had built eight houses and a church.  In addition, he has also volunteered through Citrus Valley Medical Center in the Emergency Room, Definitive Observation Unit, the Critical Care Unit, and the Transportation Department.

Runner-Up Category (alphabetical order)
Dylan Bechtle is from La Crescenta and attends Crescenta Valley High School.  His volunteer pursuits include his work as tutor for the Academy of Science and Medicine, assisting students of biology and chemistry.

Andrew Borer is from Alta Loma and attends Damien High School in La Verne.  He volunteers at the Tijuana Mission Club in their food and clothing drives. 

Adrian Castillo is from San Dimas and attends Don Bosco Technical Institute in Rosemead.  For Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church, he has been serving in 2 choirs and as altar boy, the Eucharistic ministry as an office assistant, and the Junior Core. 

Yasmine Ibrahim is from Sierra Madre and attends Alverno High School.  She is a member of her schools' Christian Service Club through which she has benefited Soldier's Angels Organization, the Kid Space Pumpkin Festival, and victims of Japan's recent earthquake. 

Kaitlyn Jeong is from Arcadia and attends Arcadia High School.  She volunteers as the Cornerstone Education Center, which is a nonprofit organization that works to provide services to students with special needs.

Aliza Mariano is from Los Angeles and attends Alverno High School in Sierra Madre.  She is a member of her parishes' Youth Group, she takes part in many service projects within the community such as Hope Dinner, which prepares weekly meals for the homeless and less fortunate. 

Kevin Matthew O'Toole is from La Cañada and attends St. Francis High School.  His main focus as a volunteer includes the Errands and Escort Department.

Marika Stanford-Moore is from South Pasadena and attends South Pasadena High School.  She volunteers at Huntington Memorial Hospital. 

Erick Velasquez is from Montclair and attends Bonita High School in La Verne.  He volunteers at the Montclair Community Medical Clinic.

Dorothy Yim is from Rowland Heights and attends Walnut High School.  In service to City of Hope Hospital, she tends to the patient's charts, escorts materials, delivers food, and answers patient calls.  She is also the secretary for the only local sector of For All Mankind, which raises money for the underprivileged children of the Congo region. 

Sidney Zhang is from Arcadia and attends Arcadia High School.  Last summer, his volunteer group Simply Savant hosted the educational Camp Savant, the free summer program that teaches English, math, biology and chemistry to members of the Boys and Girls Club. 

Honorable Mention Category (alphabetical order)
Diana Abdelrahim is from South Pasadena and attends Alverno High School in Sierra Madre.  Her volunteer pursuits include participating in AIDS walk, pitching in to help Sierra Madre decorate their Rose Parade float and assisting the Harvest Festival. 

Rebecca Acuna is from Rancho Cucamonga and attends Alta Loma High School.  Rebecca is a member of Drug-Free RC, a program created to make young children aware of the benefits of being drug, alcohol, and tobacco free. 

Vivian Arpa is from San Gabriel and attends Jefferson School.  Her first volunteering job was volunteering in the Tech Center as a computer aide for the Arcadia Public Library where she also helps out the Circulation Department. 

Yasmine Giselle Batista is from Altadena and attends Pasadena High School.  Her volunteer pursuits include assisting Huntington Memorial Hospital in the Errand and Escort Department, as well as helping out at both Altadena Public Library, and Bob Lucas Library.

Aubrey Byers is from Pasadena and attends Maranatha High School.  She volunteers at Huntington Memorial Hospital in the Errand and Escort Department, as well as the Maternity Unit.

Elysse Cantu is from Glendora and attends Charter Oak High School in Covina.  For the past three years, she has volunteered as a student cheer coach for her Charter Oak Youth Football and Cheer.

Weston Chang is from Arcadia and attends Foothills Middle School.  He assists the City of Arcadia in their Community Service Department as a Volunteer. 

Vanessa Chiang is from Rancho Cucamonga and attends Etiwanda High School.  She makes a difference in her community by serving the “Linus Project,” which helps make blankets for the homeless. 

Chika Chukuani is from Rancho Cucamonga and attends Alta Loma High School.  She is a member of Drug-Free RC, Youth Grant Makers and TAP, which stands for Tobacco Awareness Program. 

Raymond Chung is from Arcadia and attends Harvard Westlake in Los Angeles.  He benefits his community by volunteering at Foothill Unity Center in Monrovia. 

Taylor Ashley Dee is from Rancho Cucamonga and attends Alta Loma High School.  She makes a difference in her community by volunteering in the Drug-Free RC program. 

Avika Dua is from Walnut and attends Walnut High School.  Her volunteer pursuits include assisting the Pomona Valley Habitat for Humanity and For All Mankind Humanitarian Organization.

Austin Garcia is from San Dimas and attends San Dimas High School.  His volunteerism entails serving Grace Church of Glendora in their outreach programs. 

Brianna Michelle Harris is from Covina and attends Charter Oak High School.  She serves her community by volunteering at the Inter-Community Citrus Valley Medical Center.

Logan King is from Alta Loma and attends Alta Loma High School.  Her volunteer pursuits include educating her community's youth on the dangers of drug abuse through Drug-Free RC. 

Antonia Annie Lee is from San Gabriel and attends Temple City High School.  Her volunteerism involves working at Crowell Public Library in San Marino. 

Amy Leong is from Arcadia and attends Arcadia High School.  She serves as president for her school's chapter of the American Red Cross. 

Diana Liu is from San Marino and attends Flintridge Preparatory School in La Cañada Flintridge.  She taught at Camp Savant, a summer camp experience for low-income kids.

Luc Andrew Maynor is from Upland and attends Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente.  Luc assists the annual San Antonio Heights Pancake Breakfast, the Host Lions Club yearly Fish Bake and Megan's Wings Foundation's annual 5K Run/Walk. 

Taige Mitchell is from Alta Loma and attends Alta Loma High School.  Taige assists the Food Gap to provide meals for the less privileged and the Meals-On-Wheels program.

Amber Mohsin is from Montclair and attends Lutheran High School in La Verne.  She serves the community by serving as a Junior Volunteer at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. 

Ruth Ng is from Arcadia and attends Arcadia High School.  She has a passion for books and found a great way to utilize that by getting involved with Arcadia Public Library's Summer Reading Program for kids.

Edward Pang is from Arcadia and attends Arcadia High School.  His love of mathematics has led to his desire to help others with their studies. 

Jennifer Perez is from Los Angeles and attends San Gabriel Mission High School.  Her affiliation with San Gabriel Missionaries Parish is the focus of her volunteer efforts. 

Erik Seetao is from South Pasadena and attends South Pasadena High School.  Erik assists the Tzu Chi Foundation tackle poverty and develops friendships with kids by tutoring them in math through Union Rescue Mission. 

Molly Shelton is from La Crescenta and attends Crescenta Valley High School.  She has helped 19 African girls complete High School through Project JAMBO by raising funds. 

Catherine Shipp is from Alta Loma and attends Alta Loma High School.  She volunteers working with local food banks and being active in her school ASB’s Reachout Committee facilitating blood drives and fundraisers.
 
Emily Shipp is from Alta Loma and attends Alta Loma High School.  Her volunteer efforts include educating youngsters on the dangers of drugs through Drug-Free RC. 

Ryan Skinner is from Alta Loma and attends Alta Loma High School.  He volunteers for his High School little league's Challenger Program.

Richard Smith is from Glendora and attends Glendora High School.  For the last 3 years, he's served his church's youth group as Peer Leader for its Life Teen Program. 

Katherine Sobota is from La Cañada Flintridge and attends Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy.  Katherine participates in various fundraising programs and events including World Vision's 30 Hour Famine.

Brittni Villanueva is from San Dimas and attends San Dimas High School.  She is a member of San Dimas High's Ten Action Committee, a youth volunteer and leadership club. 

Audrey Wang is from Arcadia and attends Arcadia High School.  She volunteers twice a week at Huntington Memorial Hospital in the Errand and Escort Department. 

Sophia Wang is from San Gabriel and attends San Gabriel High School.  Her primary focus is serving the community through Vista Cove, a 99 bed nursing facility in San Gabriel. 

Hayden Ward is from San Dimas and attends Damien High School in La Verne.  Hayden assists the City of Hope Hospital's gift store, and has been helping out at St. Louis Church's annual carnival. 

Ashley Renee Wilson is from Rancho Cucamonga and attends Etiwanda High School. Through her school's Careers and Community club, Ashley helps those in need.

Emory Yuan is from San Gabriel and attends San Marino High School.  Emory's community service entails pitching in at San Marino's Crowell Public Library.

Kelvin Zheng is from Arcadia and attends Arcadia High School.  He is a member of Simply Savant through which hosts Camp Savant. 

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