On Monday, 22 members of the Eastside Connections safety patrol received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award for their volunteer efforts at ECS.

The national award is presented to young people who have completed at least 40 hours of volunteer work at one place over the course of a year.

Many of the sixth- and seventh-grade students are also active members of the ECS student council, ECS school store and volunteer in ECS classrooms.

Many ECS sixth-graders received the Presidential Bronze award for 40 or more hours of volunteer service. Two seventh-graders received the Gold award for more than 100 hours of volunteer service at ECS.

During the event, ECS principal Joe Racht commended the students for their volunteer efforts and encouraged the students to continue their steadfast goal to make a difference at their school and in their community. 

Racht and ECS Safety Patrol advisor Angela Williams also praised the students for receiving the presidential awards and working to help make the school community a safer place.

Williams and Racht also graciously thanked members of the Michigan Masonic Charity Foundation who generously donated funds to underwrite the cost of the presidential award medals for the students and the end of the year luncheon ceremony to celebrate the students’ significant volunteer efforts at Eastside.

“The Presidential Volunteer Service Medal is very prestigious and we appreciate the members of Saint Joseph Valley #4 Lodge in Niles for making it possible for us to receive the awards,” said seventh-grader Stuart Lundberg, who is member of the ECS safety patrol.  “It’s nice to know they wanted to help us and they came to congratulate us.” 

Leaders and members of the Niles Masonic Lodge “Saint Joseph Valley 4” Marc Halt, Phil Trytko and Dennis Grosse attended the awards ceremony and complimented the students for their extensive volunteer work as safety patrol members and at ECS. 

“Keep up the good work,” Marc Halt said to students.