Saint Therese Honors Outstanding Youth Volunteers

Saint Therese awarded four $1,000 educational scholarships to youth volunteers for their service to seniors at an event on April 23. Nearly 50 people attended and had the opportunity to meet the outstanding youth and hear a portion of their essays. Saint Therese is grateful for the time and commitment of all volunteers.

The Youth Volunteer Scholarship recognizes intergenerational relationships and encourages other youth

Scholarship Recipients: Katie, Ryan, Morgan and Alexandra

to engage with older adults. Earlier this year, Saint Therese held a scholarship contest for youth ages 12 to 18 years old. Participants volunteered 20 hours or more and submitted a written essay or illustration demonstrating how volunteering with an older adult impacted their life.

“Youth bring extraordinary energy and a unique view of the world to our communities,” said Barbara Rode, Saint Therese President & CEO. “It is essential that we engage youth today to encourage them to recognize the value and wisdom of seniors. They are our future caregivers.”

Saint Therese is honored to recognize:

Morgan Richter, age 12, of Maple Grove

“Volunteering with elderly people, is a way for members of the youngest generations to teach and learn things from the members of the most senior generations.”

Alexandra Corbin, age 14, of Brooklyn Park

“We each took away something through our experiences, but we all can agree about three experiences that we learned - responsibility, being respectful, and building relationships without even knowing it.”

Katie Segner, age 17, of Golden Valley

“My volunteering has filled my heart with gratitude and respect for these beautiful people, and has left a mark on me that will forever be in my soul, inspiring me to improve the lives of senior citizens to make them as joyful as they can be.”

Ryan Coughlin, age 18, of Maple Grove

“When I volunteer, I think about the fact that each older person I encounter is someone’s mother or father, daughter or son, wife or husband, aunt, uncle, nephew or niece.”

Read the recipients full essays on our website: sttheresemn.org/youth-scholarship.