Why I give: A teen who volunteers with a passion

Georgetown, Massachusetts, Record
http://www.wickedlocal.com/georgetown/news/x1450772093/Why-I-Give-Two-stories-of-people-who-volunteer-with-a-passion
           
As early as he can remember, Nicholas Valentini, 17, has been involved in volunteering. His earliest memory is going with his mother to pick out toys for the Toys for Tots drive his parents ran out of their store, Bill’s Bakery.

“I’ve built on that every year. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing,” the Georgetown High School senior said. “One of the best parts is seeing someone else who may not have been interested in service and getting them involved to spread the spirit of community.”

What got him hooked on community service is the feeling of being able to give to someone else, he says. The active teen founded and is the president of the Georgetown Key Club, the Kiwanis service and leadership club for high school students, which he began after serving as a member and then president of the middle school version of the Kiwanis, called the Builders Club.

“It’s been running better than I ever could have imagined,” said Valentini, who thanks Georgetown Kiwanis member Bob Tandy for helping get the club off the ground. “We had over 200 combined hours of service last year and more than 55 members this year.” Valentini has also enjoyed seeing others in the club take on leadership roles as well and lead projects.

The Key Club isn’t his only act of volunteerism; Valentini has spent more than 500 hours at the New England Aquarium as a volunteer. His passion for marine biology drew him to the role.

“It’s helped me focus my interest [in biology] and is one of the coolest volunteer opportunities ever,” said Valentini, who leads talks, interacts with visitors and leads presentations with various animals.

Another group he’s been active with is the Massachusetts Youth Leadership Foundation, which runs a program called MassSTAR. The group teaches civic awareness, responsibility, inclusiveness and leadership skills, Valentini explained.

He was nominated as a sophomore to attend the MassSTAR conference and since then has continued to be active, serving on the Alumni Board as treasurer and helping run events, including a project where they collected backpacks and stuffed them full of school supplies for kids in northern Ghana.

For his commitment to volunteerism, he has been awarded a President’s Gold Medal for Community Service, awarded to the top 10 kid volunteers in each state, and a Kohl’s Kids Who Care Service Award for the store level for Plaistow, N.H.