Student Feature Friday: Presidential Service Award Winner Karin Plante

Presidential Service Award winner
Karin Plante displaying her official
letter of recognition

One of the most impressive aspects of the culture at Nipmuc Regional is the many ways that our students volunteer and give back to the community. Organizations like National Honor Society, Student Council, DECA, and Impact Team regularly run activities that generate funds or provide services for those in need. Behind each act of volunteerism is a story of commitment, dedication, and compassion. In this week's feature I'm proud to share the work of sophomore Karin Plante. Karin recently received the Presidential Service Award for her service to the Milford Humane Society. This award is issued by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation in order to recognize "the best in the American spirit, and to encourage all Americans to improve their communities through volunteer service, and civic participation." Included below is my interview with Karin.

Q: How did you become connected to the Humane Society?
A: I first found out about the Humane Society a little over a year and a half ago through a friend.  We were both searching for volunteer opportunities to start collecting hours for acceptance into NHS when we came across openings at the shelter. I only needed 10 hours, but I instantly fell in love with the work and have continued to volunteer ever since – more than 120+ devoted hours later.

Q: How often do you volunteer? What are some of the responsibilities that you complete each week?
A: I volunteer every Friday for about 2-3 hours and when possible I even volunteer on days when there is no school (including snow days!) On the last Friday of every month I also volunteer an additional 3 hours at the Upton Senior Center Dinner from 4-7 before heading to my shift at the Humane Society. At the shelter my main job is the general cleaning of the cages and open rooms, litter boxes, and beddings as well as refilling food and water. Near the end of the shift I get out the canned, wet food and feed around 70 of the cats in three different rooms. It may sound hard and messy, but I do look forward to every Friday.

A picture of Pedroia

Q: What are some of the most rewarding experiences you have participated in through this volunteer work?
A: I think a lot of the volunteer work I do is quite rewarding; I've met countless people and cats - we're kind of like a family at this point. A lot of the cats have sad, but very real stories when they arrive at the shelter, and it's very satisfying to see a cat leave the shelter in better shape than when they arrived. For example, Pedroia, a cat who many of the volunteers described as a nasty bully, was adopted a couple of months ago. I didn't think of Pedroia as a bully, and I carefully and slowly earned his trust; if you could have taken a snapshot from when I first started at the shelter to right before he was adopted, you would see how much his personality brightened. I believe I contributed to his eventual adoption and it is very satisfying, yet sad to see him go at the same time - I will never forget him.

Q: Can you tell me about the fundraiser that you ran to benefit the shelter? How did you get the idea? Was it successful?
A: The fundraiser was a lot of fun. I got the idea when the owner of the shelter expressed need for help at the shelter’s yard sales. I thought that I could greatly improve the book sale portion of the yard sale, and so I sent out countless flyers and posted them at schools in the district in an attempt to collect as many books as possible. The response was fantastic as more than 200 books were collected in about two weeks. The day of the yard sale was extremely hot, but I stayed the whole time from set up (at around 7am) to pack up (at 4pm). Two of the students involved with my NHS leadership project and I sold over $150 worth of books (at only 50 cents to $1 per book!) The yard sale was extremely successful because overall it earned well over $2,000. This money went directly towards helping the cats.

Q: How did it feel to be officially recognized as a recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award?
A: It's an honor. It really proved to me that I have been working hard, even when having fun. I never really considered how many hours I had collected, but now looking at the number on paper... I can't believe it. The recognition also gave me a confidence boost in trying to recruit new volunteers - for any and all organizations. Spending your time helping another person is time well spent, and I think other people need to try it out. They may even find it fun - like I do. It has also encouraged me to try to aim for the highest award offered: the President's Call to Service Award, which is awarded for those who have achieved 4,000 lifetime volunteer hours. This is a goal I have already set and will work hard to achieve no matter how long it takes. Also, next month the Humane Society is holding their annual Chocolate Fest on Sunday, April 6th from 1-4pm at the Medway VFW (123 Holliston Street). It's one of their biggest fundraisers for the year and there are always too many chocolate goodies left over at the end that we don't know what to do with! So please, come enjoy! I will definitely be there! And look at the Humane Society’s website for other upcoming dates: www.milfordhumane.org.


Thank you, Karin, for your service, dedication, and the way you make an impact on our community!