Recognizing youths and those who work with them

May

The 29th annual Rockland County Youth Forum and Awards was held last night in Haverstraw.

Kaitlin Dinet and Justin Mathew were each presented with the Joseph A. Myers Outstanding Youth Volunteer Service Award and a $1,000 scholarship made possible by donations from local businesses and residents.

Dinet is a senior at Pearl River High School, a Girl Scout, and volunteers at senior citizen centers. She also helped with the renovation of the Sept. 11th Memorial at Pearl River High School.

Justin Mathew is a junior at Clarkstown South High School, and a volunteer with the New City Ambulance Corps, West Nyack Library and People to People. He is also a leader of Rockland Family Shelter’s Student Activists Ending Dating Abuse, or SAEDA, program.

John Marra was presented with the Father F. Peter Malet Service to Youth Adult Volunteer Award. He is coordinator of Student Activities and Volunteer Services at Rockland Community College.

Marra has volunteered with Every Person Influences Children, or EPIC, and is the facilitator for its Dads Only program. He also volunteers with People to People and annually participates in the Great American Cleanup.

The Suffern Community Foundation was also presented with the Malet Award.

The not-for-profit organization was founded in 1995. Its mission is to benefit young people and families in the village of Suffern and surrounding communities by raising money, promoting activities and offering educational programs, including the annual DARE holiday toy drive, Eagle Scout projects and a Summer Journal program for kindergarten students.

Awards were presented by County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef, County Legislature Chairwoman Harriet Cornell and Rockland BOCES Superintendent Mary Jean Marisco.

The dinner and ceremony were sponsored by the Rockland County Youth Bureau’s volunteer board of directors.

The photo above was shot by staffer Peter Carr last night.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 15th, 2009 at 2:03 pm by Laura Incalcaterra. Print | Email

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