Two Nevada students make finals of Spirit of Community Awards

Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002 | 9:05 a.m.

Two Northern Nevada students were among 104 young volunteers honored by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program recognizing young people for exemplary acts of volunteerism.

Nevada Griffin, 18, of Virginia City High School, and Jeffrey Lambin, 14, a home-schooled eighth grader of Gardnerville, will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and a trip to Washington, D.C., in May for several days of national recognition events.

Griffin helped spearhead an effort to design and build a community skate park in his city. Lambin designed, built and stocked several portable craft carts to provide fun activities for children undergoing treatment in local hospitals.

They are in the running to be named among America's 10 top youth volunteers for 2002 in May.

In addition, the program cited Meghan Doughty, 18, a senior at Las Vegas Academy, and Brooke Buerkle, 17, a senior at Elko High School, as distinguished finalists.

Doughty created 60 midwife kits to help ensure a safe labor and delivery for disadvantaged women in the Third World, and Buerkle organized a volunteer effort to obtain donated books and books on tape to establish a children's library at a preschool for low-income students.

They will receive an engraved bronze medallion.

Nearly 28,000 high school and middle level students across the country submitted applications for this year's program.