GP students find fulfillment, high honors in SOC service
Two Grosse Pointe high school students are a walking rebuttal to the idea of teenagers as self-involved, irresponsible slackers. Demesia Glasco, a sophomore at North, and Elizabeth Hyde, a South senior, received the President’s Volunteer Service Award for their commitment to community service last November.
The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation created the service award, which is given to individuals who "by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service." Glasco and Hyde were honored for their work at Services for Older Citizens, non-profit organization aimed at supporting senior citizen independence.
Glasco and Hyde completed more than the 250 service hours required to receive a gold medallion, the highest level of recognition for young adults. They prepared meals for the senior citizens, taught computer classes, assisting with the various events that the organization hosts and helping SOC employees with office paperwork.
Hyde, who has volunteered with SOC for three years, helped with such events as Dancing in the Streets, assisted with the Meals on Wheels program, and served at SOC’s monthly tea parties.
Glasco, who began her service to SOC last year, also participates in the monthy tea parties and Meals on Wheels deliveries, as well as serving during ice-cream socials. She mainly works in the Food and Friendship area of the SOC.
“I would help in the kitchen area by setting up the trays with food and clean-up,“ Glasco said. “We had seniors one by one get their food, and I served the ones that couldn’t get up to get their food.”
Mary Rose Nelson, director of volunteer service said that every year, the SOC has a minimum of 150 students who volunteer with their organization.
“Our Meals on Wheels program really involves high school students. We have seven boys that come in every week,” said Nelson.
Nelson said some of the students are National Honor Society members, who volunteer to fulfill a required amount of service hours. Others do it under court ordered for community service. However, many students, such as Glasco and Hyde, do it on their own free will.
“Being on time and respecting their commitment makes a good volunteer," said Nelson.
“We have had kids that said they were going to be here and never show up. You have to be compassionate to work with seniors and understand the program we have here, and understand our mission. That’s the difference between coming by choice and being forced.”
Nelson said both Glasco and Hyde are dedicated and will come in on a moment's notice.
“All of the seniors knew and loved Demesia when she worked here last summer,” said Nelson.
In the time that Glasco and Hyde have volunteered at the SOC, they have learned to not take little things for granted.
“It really makes me appreciate the things that come easily to us because we are young and we don’t need help walking and getting our own food like the seniors do,” said Hyde.
Both students also said they enjoy being volunteers.
“It's fun when you get here and serve food to the seniors because they appreciate it so much, “ said Glasco. “It takes so little effort from us, but they are so appreciative.”
Hyde and Glasco have even recruited friends to volunteer with SOC: South seniors Claire Dennehy, Melissa Nurre, and Melissa Sullivan all received the silver level of the President Volunteer Service Award for their work.
There was a ceremony held at Grosse Pointe War Memorial in honor of the recipients of the presidential award.
“I didn’t know I had to give a speech and it was pretty scary,” said Hyde.
Hyde also volunteers elsewhere, working in the neonatal intensive care unit at St. John’s Hospital every Sunday. Hyde will attend the University of Michigan to major in biochemical engineering. Glasco wants to attend Wayne State University and become a nurse.
The SOC continues to award volunteers for their commitment and on April 23, high school student Sarah Blake followed in Hyde and Glasco’s footsteps by receiving the gold President's Volunteer Service Award.
Video extra: Demesia Glasco and Elizabeth Hyde discuss their SOC service:
Editor's note: This report was prepared by students in Professor Tim Kiska's online journalism class at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
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