Michigan Youth Pledge to Serve at 2009 Service and Leadership Camp

This year's event, "Super Servers: Taking on the Challenge of Service," featured activities such as teambuilding, a Challenge Day program, service projects, and workshops for teachers and students.  The Challenge Day program engaged the students in a highly experiential workshop that provided tools and life skills to encourage an environment of acceptance, love, and respect.  The students partnered with "Kids Against Hunger," a nonprofit organization that packages and ships highly nutritious, life-saving meals to starving and malnourished children in developing countries and the United States.  Camp participants helped pack meals to be distributed in their own communities and globally. 

A special recognition of service helped round out the weekend's activities as 12 youth in attendance received the President's Volunteer Service Award.  All the recognized youth have devoted at least 50 hours to volunteer service in the past year, qualifying them for the prestigious award which recognizes individuals, families, and groups with lapel pins, recognition certificates, and a letter signed by President Obama.  Michigan Community Service Commission Board Member Breannah Alexander presented the following recipients:

Carson City-Crystal Area Schools

Amber Craig

Detroit Service-Learning Academy

Cinque Littleton

Honey Creek Community Schools

Fin Seely

Ella Steiger

Pathfinder School

Dorothy Buening

Suzy Mitchell

Romulus Community Schools

Elea'ele Buford

Alex Carter

Deshar Dinkins

D'Mario Ellis

Victoria Mangham

Sierra Smith

As mentioned earlier, all the students made a personal pledge to service while attending this year's camp.  Below is a sampling of those pledges:

I pledge to care more, to get up off my butt, and to do something.

I pledge to recycle more than I do now.

I pledge to help maintain a clean and safe community and to always be kind and caring towards others.

I pledge to stop kids teasing each other.

I pledge to tell my teacher that I want to do a penny drive.  Then to give the money to the animal shelter.

I pledge to do five service projects with a good cause.

I pledge to help the Earth, the homeless, and the elderly.  To plant a tree, to pick up trash, whatever it takes to be of service.

I pledge to get my family involved in more community service activities.

I pledge to save energy by turning off lights.

I pledge to be a better person.