Are You Golden?

Our great country has a long, proud legacy of volunteer community service. This passion to work to better our communities, nation, and world drives children to become leaders: advocates, doctors, lawyers, soldiers, presidents, and everything in between. This passion is what enables those who come from nothing not only to create their own great legacy, but to also take those leadership roles and inspire future leaders.

The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation was established in 2003 to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our communities and encourage more people to serve. The Council created the President’s Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service.

Recognizing and honoring volunteers sets a standard for service, encourages a sustained commitment to civic participation, and inspires others to make service a central part of their lives. The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes individuals, families, or groups that have achieved a certain standard – measured by the number of hours of service over a 12-month period.

http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/tg/pvsainfo/dspAboutAwards.cfm

This spring, I was so excited to be awarded the Gold Level President’s Volunteer Service Award for completing over 250 volunteer service hours this year! I preformed these hours working with the AHA, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Erick’s Hope Foundation, March of Dimes, and many other wonderful organizations! Yes, I am proud of this award because it acknowledges all of my hard work over the past year, however, the circumstances under which I earned the award make me so much more proud of it and make the award symbolic to me. In September of 2009, I had a complete fracture my right fifth metatarsal, which means that my foot was broken. After 7 weeks, my foot showed little signs of healing and I had surgery to rejoin the bone in hopes of speeding the healing process. After surgery, I was sentenced to a hard cast for another 7 weeks, followed by an “air cast” for about a month. The whole process altered my life for that span of time. Previously a very active teen, I was rendered greatly immobile and unable to exercise. A self-confessed high heel fanatic, I was stuck in a cast on my right foot and one sneaker on the other. I was unable to attend sporting events at school and had to take a bus to and from class, as I couldn’t even walk around campus. Everything was different. Everything was difficult. I couldn’t even get food on my own for the majority of the time, as I needed both hands for crutches.

That time completely changed my perspective on life and how lucky I am to have full mobility again now. It also gave me a great sense of empathy for those with limited mobility. For me, receiving the Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award despite the setbacks I faced shows me that I can overcome any obstacle to accomplish my goals. To me, the award is symbolic of my own inner strength, which I hope to share with all whose lives I have the opportunity to touch during and after my reign. After all, it’s not just the self-discovery and self-improvement that really counts in one’s own life, but rather the improvements and hope that you bring to the lives of others.

Juliana McKee