May 5, 2008 By The 4 min read

(Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of eight stories)A senior at Frazier High School, Lauren Tucker said she gets more out of community service than she gives. “While others my age find it difficult to give up so much of their time without seeing any kind of physical ‘profit,’ I’ve realized that the emotional reward that I get from helping these people is worth more than being paid any sum of money,’ said Tucker.

Toward that end, Tucker has volunteered at food drives, blood banks, nursing homes and church nurseries. In addition, she also participated in highway cleanups, writing Santa letters for children, teaching Bible at the First Christian Church of Perryopolis and cleaning the grounds of Frazier High School.

She also volunteered on two trips to South Carolina and New Orleans for Habitat for Humanity, which changed her life.

“After spending a week in Greenwood, S.C., I began to see the world in a whole new way,’ said Tucker. “It made me realize that all of my little worries about my life were nothing compared to what other people had to face on a day to day basis. I saw destroyed homes, extreme poverty, and in the face of all this, people who were still kind and trustworthy.’

For her volunteer efforts, she has been selected to receive a Fayette County Community Service All-Star Award. She is among eight local students being honored for putting forth an extra effort to make a difference in their communities. The students come from Fayette County’s seven high schools as well as Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.

Ranked first in her class with a 4.06 grade-point average, Tucker plans to attend Slippery Rock University and major in health services and administration. She is the daughter of Cindy and Tom Tucker of Perryopolis.

Each school selects its own awardee based on the student’s community service endeavors over the last three years. Students must have a minimum 3.25 grade-point average.

The students will receive a $500 check to help them with their college costs. The students can also receive a matching grant from the Community Foundation of Fayette County, depending on certain requirements. The students will be honored at a breakfast at Pechin’s Firehouse restaurant in Dunbar Township on Wednesday, May 14.

Members of the organizing committee for the event, including Jes Hutson, John Evans, Leda Gismondi, Dave Meredith, Cindy Digga, James Saul and Mary Ann Leonard, will select a captain who will receive an extra $100. Leonard will also serve as master of ceremonies.

Kenny Hager will be the guest speaker. A student at California University of Pennsylvania, Hager most recently served as a Boy Scout National Representative for the Northeast Region.

Sponsors for the program include the Herald Standard, Argon ST, Dave and Linda Meredith, Jes Hutson, the Uniontown office of National City Bank, Uniontown Rotary, Joe Hardy, Cher-o-kee Fur and Recycling, Edward and Toni Regula, Community Foundation of Fayette County, Gismondi and Associates, P. C., Chestnut Ridge Rotary Club, John and Jacqueline Evans, Doug Wood, Elouise Eberly, George R. Smalley Co., Inc, Kisiel and Rudnik, PC, Leda Gismondi, First National Bank of Pennsylvania, Ron and Patricia Sheba, Ron Slavic, Penn State Fayette The Eberly Campus, Alumni Society

Penn State Fayette The Eberly Campus, College for Kids, Phil Michael, Dan Evans, Jim and Libby Gismondi, Bill Hutson, All State – Russ Blaho, Martha Brownfield, Tim and Debbie Seeger, Larry and Carol George, RW Clark Elementary School Teachers and Staff, Sepic Orthodonics – Ron and Chris Sepic, Joe Price, Upper Room – Mark Skoric, Mary Ann Leonard, George Von Benko, and Paul and Shelley Songer and Family.

Clara Pascoe represents the Community Foundation of Fayette County, which receives and administers funding for the program.