By D. Blaszka
Flemington, NJ – June 4, 2012 – Natalie Brooks and Gavin Blaszka, North Hunterdon High School freshmen and members of St. Paul Lutheran Church’s Faith in Action youth group, recently received Gold Level President’s Volunteer Service Awards Certificates with signed letters from President Barack Obama. In the letters, the President thanked them for their devotion to service and congratulated them for “addressing the most pressing needs of your community and our country.”
The President’s Volunteer Service Awards were established in 2003 as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service. The Awards recognize extraordinary volunteering measured by the number of hours of service over a 12-month period or cumulative hours earned over the course of a lifetime. Brooks and Blaszka each logged close to 200 hours, which, as 14-year-olds, entitled them to the highest Gold level award.
The majority of volunteer hours performed by Brooks and Blaszka stemmed from work done with St. Paul’s active youth group. Last summer, the teens were among 10 church youth who traveled to Washington, DC, to join the Center for Student Missions (CSM) in an effort to help the city’s homeless and poor. Brooks is a member of the Girl Scouts, and Blaszka participates in the North Hunterdon High School Key Club. They also volunteer for clothing drives, Interfaith Hospitality Network, Homeless Solutions, 30-hour Famines and other service efforts. This July, the two will be part of St. Paul groups that will spend two weeks in troubled sections of Philadelphia and Virginia helping those less fortunate.
“Most places aren’t as nice as Hunterdon County,” observes Blaszka. “The volunteer work and trips open our eyes to the bad problems and dangers others deal with every day and show them that some people care and want to help.”
Brooks agrees, stating, “"Between St. Paul and Girl Scouts, I’ve had a lot of fun volunteering, and it makes me happy to help people."
St. Paul’s Faith in Action (FIA) initiative was launched fall 2009 and participation has grown steadily. This year, more than 175 church members and non-members have volunteered for local and national service projects — working in soup kitchens, building/repairing homes, working with children and the elderly, and much more. As they look to expand and focus on more organizations close to home, FIA Director Karen Brooks urges interested community members, as well as local nonprofits in need of helping hands, to contact her at [email protected] or stop at her Flemington store, Chaos, in the Stop and Shop Plaza. Those interested can also visit St. Paul Lutheran Church on Route 31 next to the Hunterdon Medical Center or call the church directly at (908) 782-5120.

