Polk County Public Schools
Three Polk students were named as recipients of the Disney Dreamers and Doers Shining Star Award for their outstanding volunteering and community service. The Dreamers and Doers Award is given to 400 students in Polk, Osceola, Orange, Lake and Seminole counties. Disney invites schools in the five counties to nominate students for the award and Disney selects the Dreamers and Doers. In each of the counties, Disney also selects one student from the elementary, middle and high school levels to receive the Shining Star, the highest award level in the program. Only 15 students in the five counties received the Shining Star.
Last month, Orlando's most famous resident, Mr. Mickey Mouse, traveled west on Interstate-4 and surprised Polk's Shining Stars at their schools. Disney ambassadors and Mickey made the announcements about the Shining Stars at each student's school before their classmates and school staff.
Listed below are Polk's Shining Stars and a brief description of their volunteering and community service work.
Shelby earned the Shining Star for her involvement with the local 'Stuff the Bus' school supply drive, canned food drives and Dimes for Dictionaries program which donated dictionaries to students in Jamaica. Shelby also volunteers at her church signing for the deaf during services. She is also an active member of the Kiwanis K Kids club that does many community service projects.
Patrick has volunteered for three different groups including volunteering more than 800 hours at the Cottage Nursing Home. He is a friend and favorite of many Cottage residents. He is an organizer with Southwest's Santa Claus Club collecting holiday presents for disadvantaged families. Patrick will also receive an Outstanding National Junior Honor Society Student Award for his volunteerism.
When Ashley was younger, she saw a need in her community for organized youth sports. With the help her mother, they started a youth soccer league that has grown from 30 children to more than 450 players. Over the last seven years, she has given hundreds of community service hours as a coach in the league. She has brought people together in her community through sportsmanship, leadership, teamwork and compassion. She'll attend Flagler College in St. Augustine in the fall on a soccer scholarship.
In addition to receiving a handsome Mickey Mouse statue, the Shining Stars also received Walt Disney World Annual passes for themselves and their immediate families.
