“These are students who have volunteered in a wide variety of activities,” said Pam Stephens, a longtime organizer of the banquet.
“The young people have served as mentors, coaches, and tutors. They have served at homeless shelters, nursing homes and hospitals, and have also excelled at academic endeavors within the school.”
Stephens and her committee are trying to locate any of the 49 award-winners who are still in the area.
“We want to invite the LaSertoma recipients to be our special guests when we hold our 50th anniversary party early next year,” she said. “It will be a homecoming celebration. We want to track all the winners down.”
I have been the master of ceremonies for the event for many years, and hope to take part in the special reunion banquet.
The newest member of the list of honorees is Akash Goyal, 18, who just graduated from the Miami Valley School and is a good example of the winners.
Goyal was a volunteer at Bethany Lutheran Village, where he worked as a cafeteria aide and a wheelchair transporter. “My greatest service came through direct interaction with the patients,” he said.
“On some days, I simply would sit and listen to the many stories of diverse patients.
“Actually, Bethany Village has probably helped me more than I helped it. It was there that I learned to act selflessly and to think about others before myself.”
In his junior year of high school, Goyal said he took an excursion to New Zealand where he helped local farmers with organic agriculture and learned “how to adjust to a different style of life.”
Goyal said that during his participation in the Asian Youth Council of Dayton, he became active in helping to educate young smokers about the hazards of tobacco-related illnesses, addiction and hepatitis B.
“I pushed to make a difference, hoping that the hours I had invested in this cause would possibly save lives or help those in need,” he said.
As part of the anti-smoking outreach effort, Goyal spoke before Kettering City Council and talked to Gov. Ted Strickland on the hazards of tobacco and about prevention methods.
Goyal said, “As I learned about drug-induced addictions, my mind opened to the concept of pain and suffering that I had never understood before.”
Winners of the LaSertoma honors during the past 49 years are invited to contact Pam Stephens at pam@ stephensinsuranceagency. com or call her at (937) 293-6760.
Dale Huffman wants your suggestions and story ideas. He’d like to share a story about you, your family, or a friend. This column is for you. Send e-mail to dhuffman@DaytonDailyNews.com or write to Dale at 1611 S. Main St. Dayton, OH 45409. Fax: (937) 225-2489. Phone: (937) 225-2272.
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