Mayoral Recognition Program is May 8
STUDENTS HONORED FOR TEN THOUSAND VOLUNTEER HOURS AT THIRD ANNUAL MAYORAL RECOGNITION PROGRAM
More than 100 Urbana High School students will be recognized by Urbana School District #116 and the City of Urbana for their volunteer service to the community at the third annual Mayoral Recognition Program. The program will take place from 6 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in the Urbana High School Gymnasium. Keynote Speaker will be Minnie Pearson, President of the NAACP Champaign County Branch. Pearson was a recent recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Outstanding Achievement Award given by the MLK Countywide Committee and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Advocacy for Justice Committee this past January 2024. Pearson has lived in the area for over 50 years, and is a former teacher in the Champaign Unit #4 School District for over 30 years.
A Student Success Resource Fair, featuring Urbana High School clubs, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Office of Admissions and Records, Parkland College, Eastern Illinois University Office of Admissions and Records, the Urbana Park District, and more will precede this event from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Musical and special performances begin at 5 p.m., featuring the UHS Race Street Jazz Combo, UHS A Capella, UHS Guard, and UHS Dance Teams.
During the past year UHS students doubled the amount of service hours over the past year at approximately 10,000 hours. This breaks down to over 416 days, over 13 months, and over a solid year of service to the community. Our UHS public servants completed this all while keeping up with their studies, working jobs, helping at home, and participating in extracurricular activities.
Examples of their service include:
• Providing winter apparel for a local women’s shelter
• Collecting 1900 pounds of food with the community for the Eastern Illinois Food Bank
• Distributing 300 turkeys and bags of groceries to hungry families
• Helping to build seven Habitat for Humanity Houses
• Writing letters to military serving overseas
• Baking and giving treats to local first responders
• Gathering 200 gallons of trash and recycling
• Helping neighbors recover from surgery
• Delivering greeting cards to senior citizens during holidays
And yet, this is only part of the list of service UHS students gave to others this school year. There is much more.
“We are celebrating Urbana High School students for volunteer service in our community. They are learning to be lifelong volunteers and leaders. We know that each friend we make, each person we help, each act of kindness makes our community stronger and healthier. In this third year of the Mayoral Recognition Program, approximately 100 students have volunteered upwards of 10,000 hours. We also celebrate their families and friends, teacher mentors, and school district administrators and staff who have supported their efforts throughout the year,” Mayor Diane Wolfe Marlin said.
Urbana School District Superintendent, Dr. Jennifer Ivory-Tatum recognized the importance of these beneficial community contributions students have made these past months.
“Urbana Schools and its students are committed to serving our community, which is evident in this year’s impressive volunteer numbers," Dr. Ivory-Tatum said. “Our students gave more than 10,000 hours of their time and talents in service to our community. These students exemplify the spirit of Urbana Tiger Pride, and their dedication to our community is remarkable. We truly are Urbana Better Together. Thank you, Mayor Marlin, for continuing to recognize these leaders of tomorrow and highlighting the amazing work Urbana High School students do year-round.”
The Mayoral Recognition Program is open to any UHS student who completes 30 hours of volunteer service during the academic year. Students who complete at least 30 service hours will receive a Certificate of Service from Mayor Marlin, Superintendent Dr. Ivory-Tatum, and UHS Principal Jesse Guzman.