The Foreign Service Youth Foundation is
pleased to announce the winners of Clements International Award
for Community Service by a Foreign Service Youth for 2006-2007.
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
10 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
Community Service. One of the first place winners is
Mark Phillips, age 17, son of Susan and Timothy
Phillips posted in Washington, DC. Mark is the President and
Founder of the Red Nose Club, a community service club in
Scottsdale, Arizona, which conducts projects and sponsors
fund-raisers to assist children with disabilities and serious
illnesses. Mark inspired his peers to join him in the Red Nose
Club and raised thousands of dollars for the local food bank,
the Hemophilia Association, Salt River Indian Reservation and
Ronald McDonald House. This however only touches on his
community service achievements and the significant impact Mark
has made on the local community. Marks service projects also
raised awareness of global issues and have had a significant
impact internationally. Mark raised over $1000 to buy shoes for
children in a Romanian orphanage for disabled children. He hand
delivered the shoes and spent his summer volunteering as a
teacher and counselor at a Romanian orphanage. Mark embodies the
motto service above self. He has demonstrated outstanding
leadership, patriotism, creativity, courage and compassion. He
has been an inspiration and role model for people of all ages
around the world which is why he was chosen as a recipient of
the prestigious Clements Award.
Click here to see a
news interview with Mark!
Kate Miller,
age 17, daughter of Roberta and Lloyd Miller, posted to Cairo,
Egypt, also is awarded first place. If you hear slogan Kates
Cakes, you may think it is an advertisement for a bakery rather
than an extraordinary community service project. Yet, Kates
Cakes is part of Kate Millers creative approach to serving
others. Behind Kates Cakes is a teenager who spends hours
creating gourmet desserts to raise money to pay the tuition for
Sudanese pre-school refugees in need and also an effort to
increase awareness of the strife in war-torn Sudan and the
ongoing challenges facing the Sudanese refugees in Egypt. Kate
also organized and implemented an Angel Tree of Gift-Giving
project to fund and gather gifts for the Sudanese children and
their families during the Holiday season. Her genuine care and
compassion for this group of people who have nowhere to turn was
demonstrated again through her volunteer teaching at the
Sudanese Refuge School. A true Ambassador of American
generosity, her gifts of education will yield benefits far into
the future. Kate is truly service oriented and willing to help
with tireless spirit whenever and wherever she spots a need. She
has served at the local churchs charity auction, joined in the
painting team to refurbish apartments in a poor area of Cairo to
be used for a womens vocational training center and nursery and
helped organize a food drive for the Egyptian poor. For these
reasons and many more, she was chosen as the second recipient of
the Clements International Foreign Service Youth Award for
Community Service.
Forbes Slater,
age 14, son of Charles and Elizabeth Slater, of Bangkok,
Thailand, receives the "Highly Commendable" award. Forbes Slater
was the youngest person ever to participate and certainly the
youngest person to ever complete the grueling 26 day, 1500 mile
Tour de Thailand Charity Bike Ride of 2006. During this arduous
trek across Thailand, this young man wrestled with food
poisoning, debilitating heat and humidity and sunburn and
dehydration, refusing to give in to the physical and mental
challenges. On completion, he became the tours highest
fundraiser, raising $5953 to donate to an American charity for
blood cancer and a Thai charity for blindness. His dedication
and commitment demonstrated to Thailand the American spirit of
giving. His admirable maturity, tenacity when faced with
extremely adverse conditions and selfless actions have enabled
him to make a difference in the lives of many and most deserving
of this recognition.
Described as the kind of person who makes a
difference, one who finds out what needs to be done and does it,
Ameera Keval, age 17, daughter of Mubina and
Azad Keval posted in Amman, Jordan, also receives the Highly
Commendable honor. Ameera has dedicated much of her life to
compassionate service to others. During her postings in Oman and
Jordan, she has sought out the specific needs in her communities
and found ways to meet these needs. She visited cancer patients
in Muscat every week for over a year and cared for children with
Downs Syndrome. In Jordan, Ameera participated in planting
trees in the Jordan Valley, painting a school and regularly
volunteering at a local orphanage. She also organized a
neighborhood clean-up, something not typically practiced in
Jordan. Most recently, she spent a month collecting humanitarian
supplies for Lebanese refugees during the Israeli/Lebanese War.
Then, never concerned by the monumental size of the task, she
organized and ran a month long Ramadan food drive, again
demonstrating her extraordinary capacity to give. Ameera has
shared her care and concern for others and has inspired those
around her to do the same.
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.
