Hailey Harker
Staff Writer
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Junior Kate DeVries participates in many school clubs such as The Golden Years Club, CV4BLM, and the CV Pad Project. She also is a member of the Varsity Cheerleading team.
DeVries has been named one Pennsylvania’s Top Youth Volunteer of 2021 as selected by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.
At the beginning of the pandemic, she started a nonprofit organization called “Cumberland Valley Cares” to provide groceries to those at high risk of Covid-19 and face shields to hospitals and clinics in need. By partnering with local manufacturers, DeVries supplied over one thousand face shields to businesses and completed more than one hundred grocery deliveries.
DeVries said, “I started Cumberland Valley Cares because we were in quarantine and I had nothing to do with my free time. I saw a group in New York was doing a similar service so it inspired me to start a local one here in Cumberland Valley.”
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards honors students from grades 5-12 for their excellence and commitment to community service. DeVries will receive a $2,500 scholarship, a silver medal, and an invitation to the national recognition celebration in April 2021.
DeVries said, “I felt really rewarded that I was able to help the community and I was honored to receive that award because I spent a lot of time trying to give back, so I was excited to receive high-scale recognition.”