Amanda Gaerke uses her Talents for Service

Amanda Gaerke uses her varied talents – from music to basketball – to be of service to those around her. For her many volunteer activities, the recent Centerville High School graduate has received the Community Service Award, presented by the Washington Township Board of Trustees.

The service award, now in its sixth year, was established by Washington Township to draw attention to the importance of public service and to recognize students who express their values through exemplary service to their community. The award honors Amanda for, “her dedication, her important contributions to the community, and for the superior example of community service that she has set for us all.”

Amanda served as president of Octagon Club during her senior year and contributed over the past four years to its many service activities -- such as Angel Tree gifts for families in need, a community Easter egg hunt, and Washington Township Woodland Lights;

“She is a young woman who is all about service,” said Megan LaSota, Octagon Club advisor, who nominated her for the award. “Her enthusiasm and sincere compassion for others has spread throughout Octagon Club and the high school, inspiring others to give back to their community. Amanda has taken a leadership role in all Octagon activities, as well as contributed new ideas for service. She is a role model and a leader.”

Amanda, a varsity basketball player, has applied her athletic skills to coaching summer league basketball and helping with Special Olympics. Using her talent as a cellist, she has entertained residents at St. Leonard with a string quartet that she and other volunteers established.

Perhaps most impressive, her talent for organizing events and inspiring others helped bring her school together this spring for breast cancer awareness and fundraising.

When Amanda accepted responsibility for the Octagon Club’s role in the Kettering Medical Center’s Walk for Women’s Wellness, she made it her goal to encourage widespread involvement and to double the $2,000 raised in the previous year.

The effort, called “Team Centerville,” doubled the number of walkers to 120 and raised more than $5,000, which was enough to qualify the school as a corporate sponsor and to have the school insignia printed on the t-shirts worn by event participants. “It was such an awesome day,” she recalls. “Even our principal and students who weren’t in Octagon Club walked, so it was sort of a whole school thing. We were glad we were able to involve more clubs like that.”

To encourage participation, Amanda enlisted the help of a videography class to produce a commercial shown during morning announcements. Amanda and another student spoke at other CHS service clubs and took the message beyond the school to the community. She spoke at Optimist Clubs and worked with the library to bring attention to lookpink.com, an internet search engine that raises money for breast cancer. At her suggestion, the library placed a reminder about the search engine at each work station.

Another favorite volunteer activity is visiting Sycamore Glen Retirement Center where she plays games with residents. “I always tell people who are tentative about volunteering with older people that it’s really like imagining you and your friends 80 years from now. They’re a bunch of big kids – they’re funny and they tell great stories.”

Amanda visits the retirement center as part of her involvement with St. Henry Parish. She also has prepared meals for a homeless shelter and helped to establish a junior high youth ministry at her church.

Why does Amanda put so much time and effort into volunteer activities? “I love it. It doesn’t feel like work. When I’m unhappy, it makes me happier to give and see the enjoyment of others,” she said.

“I’m fond of the philosophy of the more you give, the more you receive. It makes a whole difference in the world to put yourself into something that’s worthwhile, that can actually make a difference.”

Amanda also has participated in the Centerville High School Peer Helper Program, speaking to middle school students about the danger of smoking and participating in a student panel to elementary students about drug and alcohol abuse. For two years, she served in the Lunch Buddies project, sharing lunch on a regular basis with an elementary school student.

What advice would she offer to young people who are thinking about volunteering? “Do what you love. Help people because you love to help people, not because it looks good on a college application. That’s when it means the most, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot. It might just be talking to someone.”

The Community Service Award is intended to encourage an ethic of community service, said Joyce Young, president of the Washington Township Board of Trustees. “Service is an important aspect of citizenship and volunteers are essential if we are to create and maintain strong, vibrant communities,” he said. “When students are generous with their time, they set an example for their peers. Fostering an ethic of voluntarism with this generation is important because, as we all know, the future of our communities will soon be in their hands.”

In addition to being involved in service to the community, Amanda maintained a 4.1 grade point average, played basketball for four years and was a member of the CHS orchestra, National Honor Society and Spanish Club. She plans to attend Miami University with a double major in Spanish and Spanish education. Amanda is the daughter of Nicholas and Janice Gaerke, 7312 Eagle Creek Dr.

Nominees and winners of the Community Service Award frequently do extremely well in their studies. However, unlike other awards for high school students, scholastic achievement is not a key factor, Young said. “We want to stress that every person excels when they are of service to their community.”

Teresa Lonsbury, advisor for the CHS National Honor Society, coordinates the award with Washington Township. Other CHS advisors participating are Carrie Herman, Key Club (Kiwanis); Kate Broerman, Interact Club (Rotary); and Megan LaSota, Octagon Club (Optimists).

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