[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 67 (Wednesday, May 7, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S5854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING SOUTH DAKOTA VOLUNTEERS

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, on May 4, 2003, Rachel Petersen 
and Elizabeth Volzke were honored for their outstanding volunteer 
service at the Eighth Annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. The 
two State honorees for South Dakota received a $1,000 award in addition 
to an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip with a 
parent or guardian to Washington, DC.
  Petersen, 18, of Rapid City, is a senior at Stevens High School. In 
addition to being named a State honoree, Petersen was named South 
Dakota's top high school youth volunteer and Rapid City's Citizen of 
the Month. Petersen earned this prestigious honor by initiating and 
leading a group of teen volunteers who prepare and serve hot lunches 
every Sunday to homeless and disadvantaged people in her community. 
When Rachel learned that hungry people were turned away from the 
community's food program for breaking program rules or other reasons, 
she decided to help. ``It still seemed like a terrible tragedy that 
good people with a few problems had nowhere to eat,'' she said. Rachel 
first arranged for a steady source of donated food, then began 
recruiting reliable student volunteers to help. Each week, Rachel picks 
up the donated ingredients, and then prepares her menu--usually a 5-
gallon pot of soup, with bread, a side dish, and a drink. Volunteers 
help set up a feeding station in a city park, where they stay each 
Sunday for 2 or 3 hours, serving 40 to 50 hungry people. Rachel is 
training other teen volunteers to take over when she leaves for college 
next year. ``The eradication of world hunger will happen one meal at a 
time,'' Rachel said.
  Elizabeth Volzke, 11, a member of the Girl Scouts of Nyoda Council in 
Huron and a fifth-grader at Eureka Public School, received this award 
as recognition of her work at a local assisted living center, daycare 
center, and church services, among other events. Elizabeth began her 
volunteerism by vowing to perform 100 hours of community service to 
commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 4-H program. Beginning with 
visits to residents of the assisted living center where her mother 
works and playing games with them, Elizabeth and her sister also made 
cookies, door and table decorations, party favors, and tray liners for 
holiday celebrations, paying for supplies with money earned from 
recycling aluminum. Elizabeth was soon visiting and playing piano at 
other nursing homes, as well. She then expanded her volunteering to a 
children's daycare center because, as Elizabeth said, ``I love babies 
and young children.'' She plans to continue her volunteer efforts, 
adding, ``What a wonderful feeling it is to help others.''
  The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards recognizes students in 
middle and high school grades who have demonstrated exemplary community 
service. For their commendable and inspiring efforts to aid those 
afflicted by illness, poverty, and other difficult circumstances, 10 
students are chosen as America's top volunteers, in addition to 104 
individual State honorees. State honorees, such as Rachel and 
Elizabeth, are chosen by their outstanding dedication to community from 
a pool of more than 24,000 applications. Carried out in a joint venture 
with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the 
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards were originally created to 
encourage and reward youth volunteerism and young role models.
  People of all ages need to think more about how we, as individual 
citizens, can work together at the local level to ensure the health and 
vitality of our towns and neighborhoods. Young volunteers like Rachel 
and Elizabeth are examples to all of us. These two South Dakotans are 
extraordinary individuals who richly deserve this distinguished 
recognition. I strongly commend their hard work and dedication, and I 
am very pleased that their efforts are being publicly honored and 
celebrated. It is with great honor that I share their impressive 
accomplishments with my colleagues.

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