The Youth Fair presents students with Hall of Fame Community Service Awards

April 20, 2015 - PRLog -- MIAMI, Fla. – April 20, 2015 – The Miami-Dade County Youth Fair & Exposition announced the two recipients of the annual Walter B. Arnold Jr. Youth Hall of Fame Community Service Award at a dinner and ceremony held April16 in the Blue Ribbon Room on the Fairgrounds.

Inducted into the Youth Hall of Fame were Alyssa Cerber, an 8^th grader at J.W. Carver Middle School and Kimberly Foreiter, a senior at Dr. Michael Krop Senior High School. Each received a $1,000 check for their dedication to helping others.

Six other finalists were Codi Toney, 8^th grade, Redland Middle School; Anyoliny Sanchez, senior, Miami Jackson Senior High School; Melissa Tamayo, 8^th grade, Hialeah Gardens Middle School; Maite Iribarren, senior, Design & Architecture Senior High School; Amy Meltzer, senior, Coral Reef Senior High School; and Amanda Gray, 8^th grade, Leewood K-8 Center.

Each finalist, including the Youth Hall of Fame inductees, received a $100 check.

The late Walter B. Arnold Jr. (1914-2000) had a 41-year history of leading The Youth Fair, including as general manager and president. The Youth Hall of Fame Community Service Award was created in 2001 in honor of the man who had the vision to take a small 4-H Fair and turn it into one of the most beloved annual events in Miami-Dade County with a loyal following of 650,000 fair goers. The Youth Fair is the largest non-profit charity event held in Miami-Dade County.

The Youth Fair awards more than $80,000 annually in college scholarships to local public and private high school students. To date, The Youth Fair has awarded more than $10 million to Miami-Dade high school students to help them achieve their higher education goals. The Youth Fair is the only venue where students showcase their educational, art and science achievements all in one place and are rewarded for their efforts. More than 40,000 student projects are exhibited to more than 650,000 family members, friends and fairgoers. Please visit http://www.thefair.me/thefair/fairinfo-about_us.php

About the winners:

Youth Hall of Fame inductees:

Alyssa Cerber of J.W. Carver Middle School spends much of her time after school tutoring students with disabilities to help them succeed in school. She volunteers at Miami Power Team, an organization that gives hope and helps orphans and children with physical and mental disabilities as well as cancer and terminal illnesses. Alyssa helps recruit volunteers to assist with year-round programs and activities. She is the lead coordinator for the monthly Children’s Art Festival Night, where children with terminal illnesses create works of art and are recognized for their work during an art auction at the end of the evening.

Kimberly Foreiter of Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School tapped into her experience of living as a homeless child for two months to help the homeless in Miami-Dade. Through her school’s Interact Service Club, she arranged several events benefitting homeless children and their families. The club collected more than 3,000 books to build a library for the Our Kids of Miami Foster Care Agency. It organized a Halloween safety seminar for children ages 4 to 9. Kimberly also volunteers with the Fort Lauderdale and downtown Miami Ronald McDonald House “Make A Meal” program. She and her team raised money to create a three-course meal for families, who couldn’t afford their rent or mortgage. Last April, she embarked on a two-month drive to collect items needed at local shelters. Through her leadership, 16 Miami-Dade high schools participating in programs to end homelessness collected eight truckloads of goods.

Finalists:

Codi Toney of Redland Middle School is an advocate of her school’s agriculture department. She gives talks about the program at Miami Dade College’s North Campus, where she also passes out samples of dehydrated fruit. She presents science fair projects on ways to save money, time and labor on gardening and how to reduce weeds in the garden. And as a member of the National Junior Honor Society, Codi hosted fundraisers to collect stockings for children in homeless shelters.

Anyoliny Sanchez of Miami Jackson Senior High School raises awareness of healthy lifestyles through her work with D.F.Y.I.T. (Drug Free Youth In Town), H.I.P. (Health Information Project) and Health Occupations Students of America, where she adopted a family from the Salvation Army and gave them food, gifts and support during the school year. She volunteers with Devotion Connection and has spent more than 250 hours visiting people in nursing homes and an orphanage.

Melissa Tamayo of Hialeah Gardens Middle School volunteers with the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Walk, sponsored by the Great Strides Foundation. Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at two months old, she has become an advocate for finding a cure. She is a member of D.F.Y.I.T (Drug Free Youth in Town). She also dances ballet and hip-hop as part of the Controlled Kaos dance team.

Maite Iribarren of Design & Architecture Senior High School has visited the Dominican Republic for nine medical missions to help local families. During her trips, she learned many children lack the money for necessary surgeries. Maite began collecting artwork and collecting donations from student artists, all of which was auctioned at an event at FIU’s Frost Museum of Art in 2014. Proceeds went directly to fund life-saving surgeries.

Amy Meltzer of Coral Reel Senior High School is an accomplished public speaker, who teaches others how to give speeches and debate and coordinates after-school sessions at eight local schools through the Future Leaders and Public Speakers Club. The organization encourages elementary and middle school students to think critically and express their ideas eloquently. She also volunteers with Symphonettes, a service organization that promotes art in the community.

Amanda Gray of Leewood K-8 Center nurtures children and makes sure they have access to nutritious food through her volunteer work with local food gardens for City Serve and her efforts at Feed Miami to keep a pantry stocked to feed 50 local families weekly. She also mentors a group of three-year-olds at her church.

The Youth Fair awards more than $300,000 annually in college scholarships, cash premiums and awards to local public, private, charter and home school students.  To date, The Youth Fair has awarded more than $10 million to Miami-Dade students to help them achieve their higher education goals. The Youth Fair is the only venue in Miami-Dade County where students can showcase their educational, fine arts and science achievements all in one place and be rewarded for their efforts. More than 40,000 student projects are exhibited annually to more 650,000 family members, friends and fairgoers. Please visit http://www.thefair.me/thefair/fairinfo-about_us.php