Community Corner

Local Caring Youth Honored for Outstanding Community Service

Civic and service organizations, schools and faith community members in the Golden Valley, Hopkins and Minnetonka communities nominated the youth.

Twenty-two youth who have given outstanding service to others will be honored at the Caring Youth Recognition event Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m. at the Minnetonka Community Center.

The Caring Youth Recognition salutes young people in grades 7 through 12 who have unselfishly involved themselves in a cause or situation benefiting others. It is designed to honor young people who demonstrate caring by reaching out to others or whose day-to-day lifestyles reflect uncommon concern for others.

Caring Youth supports the attitude of giving without expectation of reward or recognition. It encourages an attitude of recognizing the needs of others and responding to those needs in a personal, caring way.

Find out what's happening in Minnetonkawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Civic and service organizations, schools and faith community members in the Golden Valley, Hopkins and Minnetonka communities nominated the youth.

The Caring Youth Recognition event is a collaborative effort among the cities of Golden Valley, Hopkins, and Minnetonka, the Minnetonka and Hopkins school districts, and the Glen Lake Optimists of Minnetonka.

Find out what's happening in Minnetonkawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The 2013 Caring Youth recipients include:

  • Abdullahi Abdulle, an Edina High School junior and Hopkins resident, volunteers as an academic tutor for 5th- and 6th-grade students through the Blake Road Corridor Collaborative.
  • Heidi Allen, a Minnetonka High School senior and an Eden Prairie resident, volunteers greeting and serving clients at the ICA Foodshelf in Minnetonka.
  • Eileen Bayer, a Breck School junior and Minnetonka resident, has volunteered for four years as a “big sister” with the Big Brother/Big Sister program of Jewish Family and Children’s Service in Minnetonka.
  • Naomi Borowsky, a Hopkins High School junior and Minnetonka resident, received a $1,000 grant to start Project Focus, which provided cameras to homeless teenagers. The program grew into a student club at Hopkins High School that takes action to address hunger and homelessness in the community.
  • Alexa Bussmann, a Minnetonka High School freshman and Minnetonka resident, has volunteered since January 2011 at Gianna Homes in Minnetonka, where she plays piano and visits with the residents of this assisted living facility.
  • Maggie Cool, a Minnetonka High School senior and an Excelsior resident, volunteers greeting and serving clients at the ICA Foodshelf in Minnetonka.
  • Ellie Crowell, a Minnetonka High School senior and an Eden Prairie resident, has volunteered on the Minnetonka High School Youth Development Council for four years.
  • Malia Elmeer, a Hopkins High School senior and a Minnetonka resident, volunteers with the Hopkins High School Student Wellness Committee, planning and participating in a variety of health-related events for students.
  • Emily Facile, Minnetonka High School senior and Eden Prairie resident, has volunteered for the past six years as a Sunday School teacher, confirmation leader and mission trip participant at All Saints Lutheran Church in Minnetonka.
  • Sydney Fine, a Hopkins High School junior and Maple Grove resident, has volunteered for the past three years as a teaching assistant, Hebrew tutor, substitute teacher and guitar soloist at Bet Shalom Congregation in Minnetonka.
  • Joy Gresham, a Wayzata High School junior and a Minnetonka resident, volunteers with a variety of youth programs at St. Luke Presbyterian Church in Minnetonka.
  • Audrey Grinolds, a junior at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School in Plymouth and a Golden Valley resident, has volunteered in dog adoption for nearly three years at the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley.
  • Maddie Lokensgard, a Hopkins High School junior and a Minnetonka resident, volunteers weekly as a small group leader at Faith Church in Minnetonka.
  • Zach Matson, a Hopkins High School senior and a Minnetonka resident, volunteers weekly as a small group leader and AV technician at Faith Church in Minnetonka.
  • JoAnn Moors, a Minnetonka High School sophomore and a Minnetonka resident, has volunteered weekly for three years at We Can Ride, Inc. in Minnetonka, where she assists with horse conditioning.
  • Morgan Olsen, a Minnetonka High School senior and a Chanhassen resident, has volunteered on the Minnetonka High School Youth Development Council for four years.
  • Erin O’Neil, a Hopkins High School junior and a Minnetonka resident, has volunteered annually since 2011 with RAV Hockey Training & Development in Prior Lake, where she coaches and mentors female hockey goalies at a summer camp.
  • Max Ostenso, a Hopkins High School senior and a Hopkins resident, has volunteered for two years as a teen mentor with the Angel Foundation’s Facing Cancer Together program, an education and support program for families living with a parental cancer diagnosis.
  • Twin brothers DeAndre Singleton and KeAndre Singleton, Minnetonka High School seniors and Minnetonka residents, have volunteered as mentors and tutors with the Minnetonka Heights After-School Program for the past four years.
  • Jack Torborg, Hopkins High School senior and a Minnetonka resident, volunteers in the confirmation program and on mission trips at All Saints Lutheran Church in Minnetonka.
  • Sam Weisberg, Hopkins High School senior and a Golden Valley resident, volunteered in 2012 as youth representative on the City of Golden Valley’s Human Rights Commission Task Force.


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