BENTON HARBOR — Haley Soderbloom, 12, of Dowagiac, believes the best thing about volunteering is “seeing the smiles on people’s faces when we help them out.”
She and Emily Clark, 16, also of Dowagiac, shared the recognition of Encore School of the Arts Volunteer of the Year at the 2012 Community Achievement Awards Thursday.
The Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan literally rolled out the red carpet for Cass and Berrien county volunteers at Lake Michigan College’s Mendel Center. Fifteen organizations recognized their chosen Volunteer of the Year.
Haley and Emily are interns at Encore.
Emily, who helps the secretary and cleans up the studios, said, “It’s really interesting to know what goes on behind the scenes.”
Encore School of the Arts offers music lessons and dance classes in a variety of genres, and hosts Encore Dance Co., a performance and competitive dance company for youth in grades 1 through 12.