Rotary Program: 8/18/04

Program Chairperson: James Glass

Speaker: Sara Billiter, Miss Kentucky Teen

Sara is a 2004 graduate of Shelby Valley High School where she excelled in public speaking, singing, dancing, playing the piano and was the valedictorian of her class with a perfect 4.0 GPA. She has been a member of the Pike County Performing Arts Show Choir for the past 8 years and in Los Angeles in April of last year Sara was voted the Top Female Stage Presence Award. She competed and won the title of her first pageant as Miss East Kentucky Teen and went on also to win in the Miss Kentucky Teen Pageant. She scored a 32 on her ACT Test, won a Governor’s Scholar Award, the William T. Young Scholarship, a WYMT Scholarship, the KEES Scholarship, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Scholarship, and was voted the Pike County Bowl Queen. Sara will be attending Transylvania University this fall.

Sara chose, as her topic to speak to the club today, the issue of community service by teenagers and young adults. She wanted to illustrate how such service would benefit the youth of our area, the community, and how she personally has benefitted from her own experiences in community service. Sara says that so many of our young people feel that they have no place or worth in today’s society and this low self esteem has led to recklessness in regard to their health, the abuse of drugs, alcohol, and other promiscuous activities in search of a sense of belonging.

She believes that if they had some structured activity that provided a service to the community, it would make a difference in their lives. When young people feel needed and appreciated for what they can do, their self worth improves and they have more empathy for others who are less fortunate than themselves, such as the elderly, the handicapped, and those who suffer life-threatening diseases. These experiences in community service can also provide incentives for future career opportunities. Not only will their service to the community help them, but young people will contribute to the future of us all. Taking part in community service will help the youth learn the skills they will need to take their places as adults in business, medicine, professional occupations, and other careers that will benefit the community as a whole. Sara says her own involvement in community service gave her a sense of purpose in her world and gave her many opportunities to see how just a small amount of her time can make a great difference in the lives of others. As a volunteer in the Pride Program, in the office of an attorney, and in programs for children, she has learned many things that she could not have found in textbooks or classrooms.

Sara again emphasized that getting the youth involved in such organizations as Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Relay for Life, United Way and World Changers, will steer them away from destructive behaviors and drug abuse. She believes that schools must include such activities and experiences in the curriculum and encourage high school students to visit nursing homes, hospitals, and other institutions that would provide them the opportunity to serve others.

Thanks, Sara, for the program today and good luck in your future pursuits. - JMC