Youth Leadership Program

Who: Alex Allen and Sarah Zimmer
Age: Sophmore and Junior in High School
What: They are volunteers in a youth leadership program and are making a difference in there community!

Alex and Sarah are two youths striving to make a difference in their community through the Youth Leadership Program. They were chosen to be featured in this article out of 10 participants. This is an easy read. I hope you all make the effort to read it and see some of the positive things these two youth's are doing. This article can be found at The Times Herald.


Hats off to two young volunteers making a difference
Pair from Wings of the Harbor recognized for contributions

To wrap up this month's focus on youth programs and feature "Volunteer Recognition" in April, we asked Tina Essmaker from the Wings of the Harbor to highlight two extraordinary youths.

Here's what she wrote:

As program coordinator for the United Way Youth Collaborative, I was asked to select two of the 10 youth participants from the Youth Leadership Program to be featured in this article. This was a very difficult task as all the youth participants have been wonderful to work with, and they each bring something special to the group.
I would like to recognize the strengths and talents of each individual and if I had the space, I would feature them all. I would also like to thank the United Way, which has made this program possible and continues to support our endeavors to encourage leadership in St. Clair County youth.

The first youth participant I would like to recognize is Alex Allen.

Alex is a sophomore at Port Huron Northern High School who enjoys cross-country skiing and was referred to the Youth Leadership Program from one of the collaborative agencies, The Boy Scouts of America. Alex has been involved with Boy Scouts for six years and is an Eagle Scout. He is full of insight and working with him has been a pleasure.

I know there are many positive things in store for his future. After completing the required training sessions, Alex began volunteering at the YMCA, also a member of the collaborative body. He assists with the YMCA's after-school program at Thomas A. Edison Elementary School and his duties include helping elementary students with their homework and helping with activities and games.

Alex reports that his placement has been working out well and has been enjoyable.

The second youth participant I would like to highlight is Sarah Zimmer, a junior at St. Clair High School.

Sarah is an active member of the student council and enjoys teaching catechism, participating in youth group, writing for the "Model T Times," and restoring a Model T vehicle with her dad.

In the future, she plans to attend Grand Valley State University and major in genetic counseling.

Sarah was referred to the Youth Leadership Program from the Girl Scouts, also a collaborative agency. She has been a member of the organization for 12 years and is a Senior Girl Scout.

Sarah has been an amazing individual to work with. She is intelligent, charismatic and able to adapt to various situations without compromising who she is as an individual.

After completing the required training sessions, Sarah began volunteering at the Harbor. Her primary task will be assisting with the Street Outreach Program, working with at-risk youth.

Sarah said the Youth Leadership Program is a good program that allows people to view different settings and gain an understanding of what is out there, and she enjoys giving back.

Hats off to Alex and Sara. You truly "Do Good" for our community!