Community service is by definition an act performed by a person to benefit the local community.
One Corvallis seventh grader has earned the honor of "Montana's Top Youth Volunteer" for his servitude.
"One thing that I'm always very careful about it that all flowers should be cut at an angle because it helps them absorb more water" explained winner Pamela Fawns.
The 13-year old meticulously places green foliage, vibrant sunflowers, and golden straw into a glass vase, creating floral arrangements to promote and raise funds for local organizations, such as 4-H and other non-profit groups.
"One of the unique things with flowers is that when you have a flower arrangement on a table, people are going to ask, 'Is it your birthday? Is it your anniversary? Or, something like that.' And, that gets a conversation going about the organization" Pamela explained.
She was awarded the 2009 Prudential Spirit of Community Award and named "Montana's Top Youth Volunteer." It is a nationwide program that honors middle and high school students for outstanding acts of volunteerism.
"Some people think that volunteering, it really doesn't make sense since you're not getting paid" Pamela commented. "But, what they don't realize that it just makes you feel good inside to be helping others."
"It's pretty incredible for me" added her mother, Wendi Fawns. "It's really neat to see her take a skill that she's developed herself, and she really is the one who pushed forward to have this developed, and carry it through to something that brings something back to the community. "
But, Pamela says she didn't easily become a volunteer. "Some of the reasons why I couldn't volunteer were because they had bad experiences with volunteers, and also since I was so young, they thought, ‘Maybe she would sign up, but then she wouldn't actually show up.'"
Pamela has been now working as a volunteer intern for a Corvallis florist for over two years and has quite a gift for arranging flowers. In fact, she comes from a long line of horticulturists.
"(My) Great-grandmother lived in a florist shop when she was younger" Pamela told us. "I was really close to her, so it was in my blood to have my creativity and put it toward my flower arrangements."
"I think that it's really important because you have to realize that kids can make a difference" she added about her volunteer experience. "Adults, they look at obstacles a lot, like, ‘How much money is this going to take? How much time is it going to be? I have work involved.' Kids, we don't look at those obstacles, we just say, ‘We can do it.' And, I think that that's a really important thing that if you're going to volunteer to really put your whole heart and mind into it and be volunteering to help others.
Pamela's next fundraising event will take place on Saturday, October 10th at the Hamilton Farmer's Market where she'll be selling her one-of-a-kind floral arrangements to raise funds, and awareness, for Habitat for Humanity.
To learn more about the Prudential Spirit of Community Award, and to download an application for next year's program, click here.
