JAMIE LYNN SCHOENER

Faith is an important value to Jamie Lynn Schoener. She feels that she can best serve her church by living as an example of a true Christian to those who need such an example in their lives. She serves her church as a lector and recently accepted an appointment in Special Ministry of the Eucharist. She works at festivals, fundraisers, and has addressed the adults of the church on the youth of today. She has also served as chairman of an eyeglass collection in which she recycled more than 1,000 eyeglasses. Through this collection, Jamie has helped someone read a book, enjoy a sunset, or earn a living.

Jamie has served a mentor to all seventh graders in Victoria. Spending one day at each intermediate school, she presented a healthy life style by teaching skills to resist peer pressures of sex, drugs, and other problems facing teens of today. The students related to her as being someone close to their age and asked many questions. Jamie gave these students the “tools” needed to resist peer pressure in many situations.

Jamie also coordinated a Friends Helping Friends Retreat by hosting area 5th graders in teaching them leadership skills on how to become responsible people. These special people were almost destined to become gang members because of their peers and home environment. Jamie found abuse, lack of role models, food, and clothing to be prevalent concerns of these youth. She, in turn, showed them how to maintain a positive outlook on life, even when negative things happen around you.

Alcohol is an important problem in our community and Jamie has taken a stand to help her peers realize how important it is to stay alcohol and drug free. She has written letters to the editor and presented talks to different community groups such as the Rotary, Lion, and Kiwanis Clubs on youth activities. She shares her community involvement and is always ready to answer questions on problems facing today’s youth.

In addition to these activities, Jamie served as chairman of a “Special Delivery” by coordinating the gathering of food, clothing, shoes, toys, and gifts for the less fortunate. She has fed the hungry by preparing and serving meals at Christ’s Kitchen. She coordinated activities for “Strengthen Our Capacity To Care” by working with juveniles who made wrong choices. The host of many events at nursing homes and a volunteer for the American Cancer Society, Jamie is a 4-H Project Leader and coordinator of an “Adopt-a-Highway” program, and she still finds time to serve as a reading mentor to elementary children.

Throughout all of her countless acts of volunteerism, 18-year-old Jamie maintains an “A” average and has balanced her time to be able to give to her community.