Youth Action Group Holds "Kick Butts Day"

Who: Students at Raymond High School
Age: Teens
What: Youth Action Group

This Wednesday's article is about volunteer Mary Duff and the RCFY Youth Action Group. Mary has been a volunteer for 19 years; however, the most important part this article is what the youth at Raymond High School are doing to make a difference. They took a survey of how many kids smoke cigarettes in the school and after seeing the results held "Kick Butts Day." This article can be found at Seacoast Online.


Kicking butts: Students honored for making a difference
Mary Duff and Raymond Coalition for Youth receive Spirit of the Seacoast Award
By Dan Lorenz
dlorenz@seacoastonline.com
March 21, 2008 6:00 AM

Whether organizing an anti-smoking campaign in their school, establishing a Toys for Tots program, or raising money to help a fellow student pay for hospital bills, the positive volunteer efforts of the Raymond Coalition for Youth resonate throughout their community.

In recognition of their outstanding service, volunteer Mary Duff and the RCFY Youth Action Group are receiving the Spirit of the Seacoast Award, given out quarterly to groups and citizens in the Seacoast community.

The award, which has been a tradition since 2001, is sponsored by the United Way of the Greater Seacoast Volunteer Action Center, the Federal Savings Bank in Dover, and the Portsmouth Herald.

Duff, a Raymond resident for 19 years, says that receiving the award was an unexpected honor.

"I have to say that I am very surprised this happened," Duff said. "I didn't think I had done enough. I never expected this."

Although Duff may doubt her contributions, friends and co-workers have sent in many letters of support to the award committee highlighting her impact in the community.

Described by friends as a person who doesn't need any recognition for her efforts, Duff has been actively involved in the Raymond school system for many years. As a NAMI-certified master youth suicide prevention trainer, she has worked closely with students and adults alike, teaching them effective suicide crisis management techniques.

Fluent in Japanese, Duff has also worked in classrooms, sharing with students her love of Japanese culture. As a child, Duff's father was stationed several times at army bases in Okinawa. From this experience, she was able to learn what she modestly calls "Baby Japanese."

"I watched a lot of samurai shows, and I picked up pieces of the Japanese language," Duff said.

Duff first became involved with the RCFY Youth Action Group when her daughter became a member. Since then, she has been recognized as a reliable volunteer, an active member, and an overall positive force in the group.

Tammy Reardon, a co-worker and RCFY youth worker, says that Duff's support is invaluable.

"She is a constant support for the youth as well as the adults in our community," Reardon said. "She has shown her dedication by always being there and getting involved."

Since its formation two years ago, the Raymond Coalition for Youth Action has already made a large impact in the community. Disgusted and concerned by the problem of smoking in the school bathrooms, the group of 20 dedicated students decided to form a plan to stop it.

"They came up with the idea to pass around a survey to find out how many kids were smoking," Duff said. "They were shocked to find that it was only a handful that were doing it. The rest of the students didn't want it."

Using the school's support as momentum, the group decided to establish a day dedicated to eliminating the problem.

On March 28, 2007, Raymond High School held "Kick Butts Day." More than 300 students and faculty in the school wore anti-smoking shirts designed by the Youth Action Group, and members gave out stickers, pins, and pamphlets describing the dangers of smoking. At the end of the day, smoking in the bathroom was essentially eliminated.

"The kids were proud of what they were able to accomplish," Duff said. "They also saw that with proper planning they could achieve a peaceful ending to something that is really nasty."

Kirk Beitler, principal of Raymond High School, says that he is proud of what the students have been able to do for their school.

"They have absolutely had a positive impact," Beitler said. "The group is a positive outlet for kids. I certainly whole-heartedly support their efforts toward the school, and the community at large."

Beitler adds that the students have recently attended a workshop concerning alcohol awareness, and are currently involved in teaching students the dangers of alcohol consumption.

In addition to these volunteer efforts, the RCFY Youth Action Group has sponsored dances to help pay for a classmate's medical bills, cleaned up their school's grounds for a graduation ceremony, and held a Safety Belt Challenge event.

The group also focuses on keeping their community clean. Last spring, members held a town clean-up day, in which they picked up garbage around the town common, the middle and high schools, and the cemetery.

Robin Albert, director of the UWGS Volunteer Action Center, says that Duff and the youth coalition were chosen because of their significant impact on the community.

"This is the work of a woman who is obviously so dedicated to the organization," Albert said. "It takes a lot of work, and the kids in the group certainly took action. They really seemed to make an impression on the award committee.

"They did exactly what their name says. They really put their money where there mouth is."

Duff and the RCFY Youth Action Group will receive their award at a special reception on April 28, to be held at the Great Bay Discovery Center in Greenland.

The group will be given a $500 award, which is to be given to the charity of the receiver's choice.

"I plan on putting the money right back into the coalition," Duff said. "It will help us do much more for the organization."

In the future, Duff plans to help establish a youth center in Raymond.

"I hope to make a place where kids can go do their homework, or just hang out and enjoy each other's company," Duff said. "It would be so wonderful to find a place where they could do that."

BE A VOLUNTEER

United Way of the Greater Seacoast offers a searchable database on its Web site where users can find local volunteer opportunities with a few clicks of the mouse.

Log on to uwgs.org, and click "search volunteer opportunities" at the bottom of the page. From there, enter your zip code or keywords to find an opportunity near you.