Each
Deserving Young Patriot Wins $5,000
SAN
ANTONIO – Operation Homefront today announced the five recipients of the 2013
Military Child of the Year® Award. The
national non-profit organization that provides emergency assistance to military
families annually gives the award to an outstanding military child from each
branch of service – Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
From
a pool of more than 1,000 nominees, each award recipient was chosen by a
committee including active duty military personnel, Family Readiness Support
Assistants, teachers, military mothers, and community members. The five awardees will receive $5,000 each
and will be flown with a parent or guardian to Washington, D.C. for a special
recognition gala on April 11, 2013. The
awards will be presented by senior leaders of each branch of service and an
invitation to present the keynote address has been made to Robert Griffin III
of the Washington Redskins, himself a military child.
“The
sons and daughters of America’s service members learn what patriotism is at a
very young age,” said Jim Knotts, President & CEO of Operation
Homefront. “Children in military
families demonstrate leadership within their families and within their
communities. This is what the Military
Child of the Year® Award honors.”
Following
are 2013 Military Child of the Year® award recipients.
ARMY
Nicole
Marie Daly, 16
Fort
Lee, Virginia
Nicole,
age 16, has moved 9 times and so far, attended 3 high schools. Despite these constant changes, Nicole is
ranked first in her class with a 4.7 GPA, a weighted score based on her
coursework of Honors and Advanced Placement classes. She has earned varsity letters in both
cross-country and track, and runs half-marathons with her father. Nicole served as the Military Child Education
Representative for Fort Lee on a panel determining ways to help military
children transition between schools.
Nicole also volunteers with a Family Readiness Group, the Fort Lee
Spouse’s Club, and spends weekends visiting National Guard and Reserve units to
teach soldiers and dependents about their education benefits. Nicole was nominated by her school counselor,
Tara Bauman-Seely, who wrote, “She is truly an example of a well-rounded
student and immediately embraced her new environment and involved herself with
extra-curricular activities. She
certainly stands out to me as a role model for military students!” Nicole is the daughter of Cathy and Edward
Daly.
Marine
Corps
Abigail
MaryRose Perdew, 17
Kingdom
of Bahrain
Abigail
is student council president and captain of the cross-country team and track
and field team. She carries a 4.1 GPA as
a full International Baccalaureate (IB) senior with advanced placement courses
in economics, calculus, European history and physics. She has volunteered over 200 hours this year
including math tutoring and as president of Student 2 Student, has grown the
outreach of this group which helps new students acclimate to their new school
and host country culture. Linda Berger,
the IB Coordinator for Bahrain School, wrote, “In my nearly thirty years as a
secondary school educator, I regard Abigail as one of my top students. She is intelligent, talented, highly
motivated and positive.” Abigail has
earned an appointment to the United States Naval Academy and plans to study
development economics and Arabic. She
would like to work as an attaché or Foreign Area Officer and in the long term,
as a diplomat or run for public office.
Abigail is the daughter of Jessica and Jason Perdew.
NAVY
Alexander
Ray Burch, 17
Grand
Forks, North Dakota
Born
at 25 weeks and 1.5lbs, Alexander Ray Burch was not expected to survive the
night. He pulled through but at age
four, doctors discovered he was hearing impaired and would continue to lose his
hearing with age. Instead of limiting
him, Alexander excels in doing for others.
While living in Guam, then nine-year old Alexander collected food and
water and delivered supplies to villagers who lost their homes in a devastating
typhoon. Since then, he has grown into
an honors student and chess enthusiast who immerses himself in volunteering,
over 400 hours this past year including producing a video for an Anti-Bullying
Campaign. He is a member of the golf
team and on homecoming court. Dawn
Thompson, Director of Youth Programs at Grand Forks Air Force Base wrote,
“There is nothing he will not do and ‘no’ does not appear to be in his
vocabulary. He is an inspiration for all
kids and many adults.” While his hearing
disability prevents Alexander from pursuing his dream of a Navy career, he
plans to study at the University of North Dakota for a career in government
supporting the military. Alexander is
the son of Joanne and David Burch.
AIR
FORCE
Mark
Newberry, 17
Medical
Lake, Washington
Mark
moved for the 10th time, from Virginia to Washington state, the summer before
his senior year. He carries a 4.25 GPA
with a course load of Advanced Placement statistics, anatomy, physiology,
European history and literature. Mark
earned three varsity letters in cross-country and placed third at the state
championship. He earned the prestigious
rank of Eagle in Boy Scouts at just 13 years old. Mark teaches Sunday school, visits shut-ins
every other weekend and volunteers at the local VA thrift store and elderly
village. His school principal, John
McSmith wrote, “Mark is a person of character who always does the right
thing. He is thoughtful and considerate
to everyone, willing to help and work for the success of the team.” He participated in the Duke University TIP
Program for clinical psychology and shadowed a neurosurgeon for 20 hours for
his senior honors project, all in pursuit of a career in medicine. Mark will study pre-med and has been accepted
to John Hopkins University and Vanderbilt.
He is the son of Jill and Brian Newberry.
COAST
GUARD
Amanda
Wimmerberg, 18
McGuire
AFB, New Jersey
Amanda
is a gifted and talented senior with a 4.0 GPA and is captain of the varsity
soccer team and track team. She is a
member of the Peer Leadership program which helps freshman acclimate to their
new school by providing an older student to talk to about problems and make
sure they aren’t getting bullied. Amanda
was the Teen Panel member of the Military Family Action Planning Committee and
volunteers with her soccer team, student council and National Honor Society to
organize beach cleanups and fundraisers.
She conducts senior citizen home visits with her church youth
group. Amanda is Red Cross CPR and First
Aid certified and works as a lifeguard at the local community college. Amanda was nominated by her school counselor,
Kelly Reising, who wrote, “Frequent moves have always been a part of her life
and so Amanda adapted quickly to her new environment. From the beginning, it
was clear that Amanda was resilient, hard-working and intelligent.” Amanda will begin college at the University
of Central Florida where she will study to be a physical therapist. Amanda is the daughter of Christina and
Richard Schultz.
United
Technologies Corporation (UTC) is the presenting sponsor for the Military Child
of the Year® Award. UTC, based in
Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company that provides high technology
products and services to the building and aerospace industries.
Additional
event sponsors include: Wounded Warrior Project, Military Times, Soldiers'
Angels, Veterans United Foundation, Bank of America, Express Scripts,
TeenCentral, LaQuinta Inn & Hotels, Flextronics, and Northrop Grumman.
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