Corey Castillo

When many can barely make time for themselves, Corey Castillo, has found time to do something special for others. Already a busy kid, somewhere between marching band, basketball, track, science club, and numerous other activities, Corey Castillo helps the elderly, veterans, and even his peers in his community.

One such way was cleaning up a local cemetary. Years of neglect and three major hurricanes had left the Edgerly Cemetary in disarray. To fix this, Corey organized 90 volunteers from schools, churches, and other organizations his community to help with the clean-up the trash and debris which took three weeks.

Working with his Boy Scout Troop, he has dedicated time to City of Refuge, a 1950’s motel that has become a home for veterans. He and his fellow scouts were charged with helping other organizations build new cabins, and demolish parts of the old hotel.

He has helped veterans even further through a program called “Remember Our Veterans”. He and his fellow scouts went to the homes of sick or disabled veterans, and helped them repair and maintain their households. They also visited the homes of their widows.

Corey has also setup a Crime Prevention program for his fellow teens. The program focuses on teaching teens about tobacco and alcohol use, sexual predators, sexual abuse, child abuse, teen driving and accidents, shoplifting, and illegal drug use. He organizes the meetings and provides snacks.

Another project Corey had a major hand in was the “Smoke Alarms, Home Inspections, and Fire Safety” In years past, the local fire department had run the project to inspect the homes of senior citizens for fire safe. However, they could no longer afford to provide their homes with smoke and CO2 alarms. Working with banks, the VFW, American Legion, and other local organizations, Corey raised the funds for the alarms. He and the fire chief made a list of senior members of their community, and made sure their homes were prepared in case of a fire emergency.

Corey’s work in the community has impacted many. People who visit Edgerely Cemetary no long have to worry about trash and debris when visiting loved ones. Veterans and their widows are living safely and securely in their homes. He has even helped teach his fellow teens about crime and how it affects them and their community. Acting alone or with a group, Corey found a way to lend a helping hand into the hearts of his community.