President's Volunteer Award
  

(March 2007) RHS seniors Katrina Roehrig and Liam Hayes have been honored for their exemplary volunteer service with a President’s Volunteer Service Award.

The Award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country, was presented by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program on behalf of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.

Katrina Roehrig has a distinction that very few high school seniors possess. She is an International Trustee for Key Club International. Only 10 students from the 33 countries in Key Club International are chosen for this distinction, and she is one of just 10! Through her work with Key Club, Katrina has participated in volunteer efforts like RHS’s “Be Homeless Night,” as well as (on an international level) UNICEF’s “Kicking HIV AIDS out of Kenya,” and in building a Key Club sponsored school in Uganda. In addition to her work with Key Club, Katrina is a member of her church youth group and has participated in church events such as Lutheran World Vision’s “Thirty Hour Famine Fast” to help raise funds for World Hunger. Katrina also works as a waitress at The Modern Snack Bar and assists with the After School Care program at her church. She enjoys music, plays the violin and sings. Katrina carries a 3.8 GPA and plans to attend college in the fall to major in social work.

The other recipient, Liam Hayes, is also very deserving of this recognition. Liam is the Vice President of the Student Government at RHS. He was very active in the Angel Tree gift project sponsored by Student Government during the holidays. He is also the secretary of Leo’s Club, which is the high school arm of the Lion’s Club. Leo’s Club participated in bell ringing for the Salvation Army and visited nursing homes to sing Christmas carols with the residents. They are now gearing up for the annual Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner fundraiser sponsored by the Lion’s Club. Liam has also been a four year member of the Community Awareness Program (CAP), which enlists high school students to act as peer counselors to students at the Pulaski Street School. In addition, he is a member of the Riverhead Youth Court and is Vice President of the Spanish Club. Like Katrina he also works as a waiter. He runs Cross Country and rows with the RHS Rowing Crew. Liam also carries a 3.8 GPA and plans to pursue a degree in architecture.

“When you look for someone to help, Liam is always there,” notes Student Government advisor Theresa Drozd. “He will be at the Relay for Life Kickoff meeting ready to help fight the war against cancer again this year.” Last year’s Relay in Riverhead raised $220,000. Students like Liam help make that effort possible.

“The recipients of these awards vividly demonstrate that young people across America are making remarkable contributions to the health and vitality of their communities,” said Art Ryan, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial. “They truly deserve all of the praise and encouragement we can give them.”