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Eastside Student wins Presidents Volunteer Service Award
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Courtney Reid, a student at Eastside High School and daughter of Charles and Gloria Reid, has been honored for her exemplary volunteer service with a President’s Volunteer Service Award.

The award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country, was presented by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program on behalf of President Barack Obama. Courtney participated in the Spirit of Community program this year as a representative of Eastside High School  where she is a student in the 11th grade.

Courtney has earned this award by serving her community in a myriad of ways. She is the president of the Jr. Service Guild which affords her the opportunity to constantly be active in service projects at school and in the community. Courtney started her volunteerism at the local hospital where she volunteers every summer, and also at a local kid’s camp. She reads to a kindergarten class each month, works at the local Literacy Festival each year, and collects items to send to food banks and shelters. Courtney works with Newton County’s Special Olympics and other special education activities. The American Heart Association, UNICEF, and Disabled American Veterans are just a few of the organizations for which Courtney works to raise money. Her main project right now is to sponsor 60 shoeboxes to be sent all across the world as Christmas presents to less fortunate children.

Courtney stated, “My motivation to become involved in volunteer work is my love for God. As a Christian, I have the desire to help others and to help them as much as possible in any way possible.” Courtney added,” I just really love volunteering. I know I’m helping others and that makes me really happy.”

Dennis Roddenberry, EHS principal, commented that EHS was indeed fortunate to have a student of Courtney’s caliber who embodies the true meaning of altruism in its highest form and sets a shining example for her fellow students.

“Courtney is not only an outstanding role model because of her community service,” added Roddenberry. “She is also an outstanding student as well. Courtney currently is ranked 3rd out of 300 plus students in Eastside High School’s junior class and currently carries a 97.25 grade point average.”

Sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program recognizes young people across America for outstanding community service activities. More than 310,000 young people across America have been considered for these awards since the program began in 1995.

“The recipients of these awards vividly demonstrate that young people across American are making remarkable contributions to the health and vitality of their communities,” said John R. Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial. “In recognizing these students and placing a spotlight on their volunteer service activities, we hope to motivate others to consider how they can also contribute to their community”

“The young people recognized by the Spirit of Community Awards demonstrate an enormous capacity for giving and reaching out to those in need,” said Gerald N. Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. “NASSP is proud to honor them as they are wonderful examples of the high caliber of young people in our nation’s schools today.”