Hawaii students honored for their volunteer work
A Kealakehe High School junior and a Washington Middle School seventh-grader received Prudential Spirit of Community awards Sunday night in Washington, D.C., for their volunteer work in Hawai'i.
June Mohr, 16, of Kailua, Kona, and Brittany Amano, 12, of Honolulu were among 100 youth volunteers to be recognized. They received engraved silver medallions, $1,000 awards and personal congratulations from former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Olympic snowboarding champion Seth Westcott.
Mohr was cited for her work with Kealakehe High's Interact service club, which helps feed the homeless, cleans up roadside trash, sends holiday packages to deployed soldiers, organizes book drives for schools and rings bells at Salvation Army kettles.
Amano volunteers after school at Leahi Hospital, where she and her group entertain patients and lead exercise sessions. The group also helps out a mealtime and often just visits with patients.