PF students honored for volunteerism

POST FALLS - Post Falls youth haven't just learned about compassion in the past year.

They've showed it.

Students asked friends to donate to Haiti in lieu of birthday gifts at their party. They visited seniors and collected food, books and clothes for those in need. They volunteered by helping nonprofits, cleaning up areas, tutoring and helping locate a missing boy.

And they were recognized during the ninth annual Mayor's Youth Awards ceremony at Q'emiln Park on Thursday night. There were 164 youth nominated either individually or as part of a group.

"I love to see the smile on people's faces," River City Middle School sixth-grader Emily Danforth said of why she volunteers.

Danforth won the individual category for students ages 12 to 14 by raising funds for Leukemia/Lymphoma Society, collecting and donating more than 1,000 books to the school, writing to legislators requesting a texting ban in certain situations and building and donating book shelves.

Kyle Davide, a volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club, won the ages 15-18 division.

"I get a warm feeling when I'm there," Davide said of the nonprofit. "Everybody is comforting and supporting."

Other individual winners included:

• Bronson Prize, ages 5-7 category, shops for healthy food each month and delivers it to the food bank; and

• Brooke Bowers, ages 8-11, gives up study hall four days a week to mentor a third-grader,

Group winners were:

• Girl Scout Troop 3008, ages 5-7 category, collected food, cleaned up park, started "Save Water" project;

• Ponderosa fifth-graders Taegan Williams, J.J. Mackesy, Kaitlyn Seher and Savannah Bravo, ages 8-11, accepted food, Haiti donations in lieu of birthday presents;

• Post Falls Middle School Leadership Class, ages 12-14, collected coats, oversaw recycling program, mentored first-graders, served veterans lunch, held fundraisers; and

• Post Falls High Key Club, ages 15-18, held bake sale for Cystic Fibrosis, leaf pickup for seniors, blood and food drives and helped at fundraisers.

Morgan Parker received a Mayor's Medal from Clay Larkin for assisting in locating a missing boy. She didn't know the boy, but sent about 40 text messages to people she knows, which helped lead police to the boy.

All nominees received a medal and the winners also received a plaque.

Police Chief Scot Haug, the keynote speaker, told the students that they may face a variety of life-changing decisions in their lifetime.

He cited real-life examples of a man who made the wrong choice to drive while drunk and collided head-on with a woman, who survived but will never fully heal. The other was bystander Phil Gunn, who pulled 12-year-old Bobby Pearl from the Spokane River 21 years ago after he had been swept through the Post Falls Dam when the boat he was in wouldn't start.

"Remember, you can make a difference both positively and negatively," Haug said. "The choice is up to you."

Here are the other youth who were nominated and their service:

INDIVIDUALS

Harry Baker, Compassion Fund; Elizabeth Easterbrooks, Operation Hope (clothing collection); Adrianna Lewis, visiting seniors; Aaron Oliphant, picked up classroom; Timberlyn Short, Haiti fundraiser; Preston Tucker, library book donations; Paige Frey, Boys and Girls Club volunteer; Samantha Heck, visiting seniors; Cierra Kargenian, projects with Navy League Cadet Corps; Lillianne Oliphant, visiting seniors; Gabriel Cheeley, Boys and Girls Club volunteer; Jeremy Cragin, mentoring; Vally Micheli, tutoring

GROUPS

West Ridge Elementary student board, overseeing activities; Mullan Trail Elementary second-graders, kindergarten mentoring; Young Marines of North Idaho, Relay for Life volunteers