Arlington Heights Student Recognized for Volunteer Efforts

One Arlington Heights student was awarded the Cook County Sheriff’s Youth Service Medal of Honor this past week.

The recognition is handed out to high school students who volunteered more than 100 hours to their community and others in the last year, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said in a press release this past week.

Blake Maley of Arlington Heights was among 359 Cook County high school students recognized for the award at a ceremony on Dec. 9 at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills.

In addition to the minimum of 100 service hours, applicants were required to submit essays about their experiences.

Examples of service from this year’s winners include volunteering in homeless shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, animal shelters, and rehab centers; organizing 5k walks; building houses for the poor; forming not-for-profit organizations; and leading mission trips across the globe.

The cumulative community service time among the 359 winners surpassed 40,000 hours.