ADAM WANSTRATH

Adam Wanstrath is a senior at Purcell Marian High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is very active in the Cincinnati community and believes, though he is one person, he can make a great difference in his community.

Adam has been an ardent supporter of the Over-the-Rhine (OTR) service project. This program serves those in the inner city. Adam worked with OTR to rehab an old grocery store. The volunteers turned the store into a new soup kitchen. Adam worked so hard on the project that many of the other volunteers were concerned about him. They thought he was moving too fast and lifting too much. They did not realize, however, that Adam was so passionate about this project that he was fine, just excited about his work. Adam continued to clean, lift, and carry the following Saturday for the project. His diligence and untiring effort inspired some of the other volunteers to push just a bit harder.

Adam also participated in the Urban Plunge. This was a weekend retreat directed towards serving at-risk youth. Adam displayed compassion and a genuine concern for the needs of others during the retreat. He was also concerned for solidarity with those who were less fortunate. The weekend retreat made him appreciate all the “extras” he has in his life and realized that many live daily without their needs.

Adam is continuing with the OTC program and has not missed taken a Saturday off for three months. He is concerned with the completion of the problem and knows his efforts will help finish the soup kitchen sooner so more can be helped by being fed.

Next year, Adam plans to attend Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He will major in Business Administration so that he can gain more skills in the business realm to continue to enable him to make enlightened decisions to help make Cincinnati a better place to live.