Westhampton Senior Earns Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — A Westhampton Beach High School senior has been honored for his dedication to giving back.

Gavin Vander Schaaf earned a national Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award for his community service activities, the district said. He completed more than 480 hours of community service; only 250 hours were required, officials added.

Vander Schaaf is a volunteer for the nonprofit Second Serve, where he is the national director of human resources. In his role, he virtually interviews volunteers for the organization, fields technical support calls and participates in team meetings. He is also a senior leader for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program, where he is responsible for planning and running leadership retreats for his peers. He has also served as a motivational speaker for the nonprofit Life Serve Youth Foundation, which provides tennis camp experiences to underprivileged youth. Since becoming a volunteer with the organization, he has been hired as its associate director.

For Vander Schaaf, volunteering is about providing inspiration and opportunities to underprivileged teens and children, he said. “My goal is to change one person’s life for the better,” he said.

In addition, Vander Schaaf participates in many extracurriculars. He is a member of his school’s National, Tri-M, Math, Science and World Languages Honor Societies, a semifinalist in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program, an AP Scholar with Distinction, co-president of his school’s Interact Club, a member of his school’s Youth to Youth executive board and a singer in the school’s chamber choir. He is also captain of his school’s varsity tennis team and holds All-League and All-County titles, the district said.

He plans to study secondary education in college.