Making Giving Count

Pebble Tossers, a youth development organization, awarded sixteen youth volunteers with the President’s Volunteer Service Award in recognition of their outstanding service.

The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exemplary citizenship through volunteering. The PVSA started in 2003 as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by example, inspired others to engage in volunteer service. Pebble Tossers, one of the PVSAs Certifying Organizations, confers the awards to recognize the outstanding achievements of their youth volunteers. “These students have served in many different capacities and provided needed help in areas where they felt the most called. They have gone beyond the required hours for school or civic requirements and served more than 3,100 hours. These hours provide over $80,600 worth of value back into the community. That is amazing work for 16 teenagers.” says Jen Guynn, Pebble Tossers Executive Director.

Grace Manning sees the PVSA as so significant that she has made a commitment to earn an award each year as she continues into high school, which will require a minimum of 100 service hours for teens, aged 11-15 and 250 for those ages 16 and older. The types of service provided by Pebble Tossers’ volunteers range from building reading centers at under-served preschools to teaching swim lessons to delivering meals to homebound seniors.

The following students are commended for their outstanding service:

• Greg Galanter, Bronze, Peachtree Charter Middle School

• James Jones, Gold, The Lovett School

• Ashley Stratton, Gold, The Lovett School

• Linda Benton, Gold, The Lovett School

• Grace Manning, Silver and Bronze, Autrey Mill Middle School

• Areeba Kausar, Bronze, Homeschool

• Henry Guynn, Gold, St. Pius X Catholic High School

• Ashna Cheemakurthy, Gold, Northview High School

• Ismail Khaderi, Gold, Marvin Ridge Middle School

• Frank Harris, Gold, Cambridge High School

• Narmeen Babar, Bronze, Atlanta Girls’ School