One was on the official stationery of the President of the United States; the other on an email from Cradles to Crayons’ manager of volunteer relations.
One spelled out her accomplishments at length; the other said it in a handful of words.
The common thread in both: The extraordinary volunteering commitment of Malvern resident Jasmine Syed, an 11th grade student at The Baldwin School, past Teen Leadership Corps’ member at Cradles to Crayons and current active volunteer with the local nonprofit organization.
Jasmine’s efforts at Cradles to Crayons were spotlighted recently when she received a prized President’s Volunteer Service Award for the “valuable contribution” she made in the community, which, as the congratulatory letter from President Obama noted, “Your volunteer service demonstrates the kind of commitment to your community that moves America a step closer to its great promise. Thank you for your devotion to service and for doing all you can to shape a better tomorrow for our great Nation.”
Cradles to Crayons manager of volunteer relations Sarah Busbey’s note came without a Presidential Seal, but her thoughts had no less meaning than those of the president’s. “One hundred-plus hours of service in one year by a high schooler is no easy feat,” Busbey says. “Simply put, Jasmine went above and beyond – not just in hours volunteered here, but in the quality of her time in our warehouse!”
Jasmine started volunteering at Cradles to Crayons as part of its Teen Leadership Corps. The half-year program that provides high school students throughout the Greater Philadelphia region a unique, hands-on opportunity to develop or improve their organizational and leadership skills, while gaining a firsthand understanding of the importance of volunteering in their communities.
Now in its sixth year, the Teen Leadership Corps program enables the students to put into practice what they’ve learned by engaging their communities in product collections, by leading volunteer groups at the Giving Factory, and by raising awareness about the need for and work of Cradles to Crayons.
The mission resonated with Jasmine, ultimately leading her to volunteer more than 100 hours at Cradles to Crayons – gathered in volunteer shifts, during an all-day summer Backpack-A-Thon™, at the annual Un-Gala, and while organizing and guiding a successful collection drive at The Baldwin School.
It also brought Jasmine recognition as a Bronze Level Presidential Volunteer Service Award winner – which brought the earlier-mentioned congratulatory letter from President Obama along with a personalized certificate of achievement and an official President’s Volunteer Service Award lapel pin. Presidential Service Awards are given to individuals, families, and groups that have demonstrated outstanding volunteer service and civic participation over the course of a 12-month period.
“I loved my whole experience at Cradles to Crayons,” she notes. “Everyone was always so positive and excited about the work we were doing. I really like knowing that I can help make a difference. Getting trained in the Teen Leadership Corps was one of the best experiences I have had,” Jasmine added, “and I would enthusiastically recommend this to anyone looking to volunteer.”
For Jasmine, volunteering has been part of her life since she volunteered at a local soup kitchen at age nine, and later made bracelets to sell for charity. More recently, she started a Kiva chapter at The Baldwin School, and serves as club head.
Kiva is a nonprofit organization that works to alleviate poverty by making micro-loans to people in need all over the world – raising money and loaning it to women in third world countries. “It is exciting to make loans to women who are looking to start businesses, even in the most remote areas of the globe,” Jasmine says.
“These loans – as little as $25 – change their lives and help them support their families,” Jasmine adds, noting that she is “looking forward to seeing how much more our chapter can do this year.
“Whether Kiva in Central America or Cradles to Crayons in southeastern Pennsylvania,” she concludes, “it is the same mission: helping to transform families out of poverty and into long-term security.”