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Clements International Foreign
Service Youth Community Service Award Winners
FSYF is pleased to announce the winners of Clements
International
Award for Community Service by a Foreign Service Youth for
2005-2006. These awards are given annually by the Foreign
Service Youth Foundation (FSYF) to recognize Foreign Service
teenagers who demonstrate outstanding leadership in community or
service to their peers. This year there were many impressive
nominations from around the world, making the selection process
difficult. All nominees will be honored at the youth awards
ceremony, July 19 in the Benjamin Franklin Room, or at their
overseas posts when possible. First place award winners
receive a $3,000 US government savings bonds.
This year there are two first place winners for the Clements
International Foreign Service Youth Award for International Community
Service. One of the first place winners of is John Alsace, age
16, son of Juan and Nancy Alsace of Barcelona, Spain. John
demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to community
service by organizing a food drive for the local childrens
center, Center Obert, located in the underdeveloped, poor
neighborhood of Raval. John visited Center Obert and learned
that the children did not have adequate food. John immediately
took action. At his school, Benjamin Franklin International
School, John spearheaded the outreach and collection for the
food drive. He counted, loaded and delivered boxes of food and
then collected over 700 Euros to help meet an emergency needs at
the center. John has made a lasting impact by turning the food
drive into an annual project and creating a connection between
his school and the Center Obert. John also serves the community
as a volunteer at the Mother Theresa Soup Kitchen and is active
in the American Embassy Community. John embodies the spirit of
compassion, volunteerism, leadership, action and service to
others which is why he was chosen as a recipient of the
prestigious Harry M. Janette Award for International Community
Service.
Jessica Himelfarb, age 17, daughter of David and Tonya Himelfarb
of Harare, Zimbabwe also is awarded first place. After visiting
a dark, gloomy one-room building used as a school for over 60
children, ages two to fifteen years old, on the outskirts of
Harare. Jessica brought together several classmates and launched
a project to paint the school. Gathering donated paint and
making many trips back and forth to the school, Jessica turned
the dark room into a clean and attractive learning environment.
She even painted a huge map of Africa on one wall, with each
country and its capital identified. Jessica then served as the
point person to receive and distribute clothing to the children
at the school from a clothing drive in the United States.
Identifying another emergency need, Jessica realized that many
children could not attend school because they could not afford
the required school uniforms. Volunteering through the National
Honor Society at her school, Jessica raised money for fifty
school uniforms for orphans at the Just Childrens Foundation.
She also built and painted chairs so the children would no
longer have to sit on the floor. Even when Jessica was studying
over the summers in Guatemala, she spent her free time
volunteering in rural preschools. Jessica has shared her care
and concern for others and has inspired those around her to do
the same. Her gifts of education to these children will yield
benefits for many years to come and for that reason, she was
chosen as the second recipient of the Clements International Award
for Community Service.
Nelson Patterson, age 19, son of William and Annette Patterson,
of Harare, Zimbabwe, receives the "Highly Commendable" award.
Though accepted to college in the United States, Nelson decided
to dedicate a year of his life to work in an AIDS/HIV hospice in
Zimbabwe that also has programs for HIV/AIDs orphans. At
Mashambanzou, Nelson spends most of his time on the orphan
outreach team, visiting the poorest communities in Zimbabwe and
serving as a big brother to hundreds of orphans. Nelson also
spent many hours on the Education for Life program, offering
seminars to help stop the spread of AIDS throughout the African
country. On his days off, Nelson volunteers in the learning
support center of Harare International School as a tutor for
children with learning disabilities. Even before his family
joined the Foreign Service, Nelson was committed to volunteering
to his community. His community service extended to his first
overseas post through several volunteer projects, such as
loading and packing food baskets for the poor, spending quality
time with orphans and building houses through Habitat to
Humanity in El Salvador. Nelson has sacrificed his own comforts
for others, he has worked tirelessly and has also been an
inspiration to many. Through his selfless actions, Nelson has
demonstrated to many that America cares about them.
The winning projects incorporated one or more of these elements:
A) Increase the awareness or served the
needs of a particular group;
B) Encourage relationships with the host
country;
C) Keep alive an American tradition; and/or
D) Meet an emergency need.
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