By Thomas Libous

State Senator

Volunteers make a community great. And we’ve got great volunteers.

Volunteers make the Special Olympics happen and give so many people with developmental disabilities a fun challenge and goals.

Volunteers across Chenango County keep the Rogers Environmental Education Center open, even without state funding.

Volunteers help at food pantries and soup kitchens in Tioga County, keeping their neighbors healthy.

How many volunteer firefighters do we have? And we always need more. And volunteers from Lourdes Hospice organize Camp Hope to help kids learn to deal with grief and loss.

So I’m proud to have a role honoring teen-agers who give back to the communities they call home. Thirty-one high school seniors have won a scholarship to a New York college of their choice because of the work they put in.

Danielle Lord of Greene is one of those teens. She had a very busy high school career doing this in addition to class work and recreational time:

• Foreign Language Tutor, for pupils kindergarten through fifth grade

• Volunteer, Chenango County Fair

• Volunteer, Greene Apple Fest

• Fund raiser, holiday adoption program for student council

“I never expected to see the 180 boxes sitting in neat rows waiting to be filled,” she said of one experience. “I knew there were many people in need in our little community, but I couldn’t believe how many there actually were.”