Mears Trying to Get Milk Money for Make-a-Wish

Rock is behind her.

The Rockville Community Alliance is too.

Now, Jenny Mears needs the whole town behind her.

Mears, a Rockville High School senior, is a finalist in the 2012 SAMMY MVP voting, part of a project by the dairy industry and USA Today to recognize the nation's top high school student-athletes.

The SAMMY Awards recognize 25 high school seniors who "represent excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership and also refuel with low-fat chocolate milk after tough workouts."

USA TODAY and a panel of Milk Mustache celebrity athletes, including Apolo Ohno, Chauncey Billups, Dara Torres, Andy Roddick and Lindsey Vonn, chose the 25 scholarship winners.

The SAMMY MVP award sets out to recognize the student athlete who not only represents the program and is active in the community, but also refuels his or her athletic accomplishments with chocolate milk.

Mears is an honor student who plays soccer and throws the javelin. She will attend Quinnipiac University in the fall.

Mears' entry can be found on the SAMMY Web site - http://sammymvp.com/jennifer-mears/.

In her narrative, she says, "I am grateful for personal attributes and opportunities which allow me to excel because I know there are several others who deserve the glory but are held back by unfortunate circumstances. In consequence, I strive to communicate my passion for life to every person I encounter ... And what better way to demonstrate this glory than sporting a milk mustache in the honor of fellow deserving humans in need?"

A video accompanies her biography.  

People can vote once per day from a computer. The winner gets a $5,000 donation will be made to an organization of his or her choice. In the case of Mears, it's the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

At 7 p.m., at about theme the RCA sent out an e-mail blast asking for votes, Mears was not in the top five. By midnight, she was in the fourth position.