Senior, Vanessa Fox, has been honored with the 2017 Wertheimer Fellows award for Excellence in Volunteerism and Youth in Action. Vanessa was recognized by The Community Foundation in Frederick for her commendable achievements in the community, both school and county wide. The Community Foundation received help from more than 2,000 donors at the 31st Annual Report to the Community Banquet, totaling a $4.4 million. From these donations, the foundation awarded the money to over 256 charities; the Frederick Rescue Mission being one of them.Vanessa chose the Rescue Mission, a non-profit organization that serves the homeless and working poor population in Frederick, to receive the grant because of the work she’s been doing with them recently. When asked what inspired her decision, Vanessa said “[she] can’t believe that people, nevertheless teenagers, don’t have somewhere to go home to when the day is done.”

With a population of over 240,000 people in Frederick, some 15,000 live below the poverty line. Many things account for this. From low employment rates, to a lack of affordable housing; struggle comes in all forms and it lives in our very own streets. The Rescue Mission does many things for our neighbors, like providing food and clothes to those in need. Their five programs work together to create differences through support groups, housing (if necessary), new found faiths, and more. Vanessa saw this and wanted to make change beyond the Rescue Mission.

The Local Love Project is a club here at Tuscarora that Vanessa was a key part of starting with hopes of educating Titans on the impact poverty has on our community. With the help of Ms. Nickels, Vanessa hopes “that the club continues. [She says] it’s mostly seniors for now, but really wants to get the message out so it can thrive for years to come.” She believes that “volunteering is not just something we should do, but something we should want to do because it’s actually really fun!” The first step in creating change, is becoming educated. The numbers really surprised Vanessa because it’s happening right here, right now. “This isn’t just a problem in Third World countries, it’s a problem in Frederick, and any one person can make a difference whether they realize it or not,” Vanessa said.

Sources

The Frederick Rescue Mission