Guilford Teen Earns Recognition for Her Community Service Activities

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism, has selected Danielle Ott, 16, of Guilford, Conn., a junior at Guilford High School, as a “Distinguished Finalist” for her impressive community service activities. She will receive an engraved bronze medallion.

Ott co-chaired a school coalition that featured a substance abuse awareness program called the THP Purple Initiative, for which Danielle and her team worked with local business and civic organizations to paint the town purple.

Danielle, whose work with the coalition drew from her desire to prove to other kids that most teens do not abuse alcohol or drugs, helped organize a culminating event for 800 students that featured a presentation by former NBA player and THP Purple Initiative founder Chris Herren.

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