News
Salem County 2000 names its community service award recipients - June 2008
CARNEYS POINT TWP., N.J.—Salem County 2000 has named Marla R. Baker of Pennsville and Alexandrea Jared of Salem as its 2008 Community Service Award recipients. Each student received a $500 check from Salem County 2000 representatives at a reception in their honor at Salem Community College.
A 2008 graduate of Pennsville Memorial High School, Baker has been a member of the South Jersey Pines Girl Scouts since 1996. As a member of her Girl Scout troop, each year she has contributed to her community by participating in monthly service projects. In working toward the Girl Scout Silver Award in 2004, Marla’s service project involved planning activities for patients at the Ronald McDonald House in Wilmington. Last year, she earned the Girl Scout Gold Award. To earn this highest award in Girl Scouting, she planned and executed a garden beautification project at Corpus Christi Church in Carneys Point.
Baker will attend Towson University, majoring in occupational therapy. She will earn a combined bachelor’s/master’s degree. During the 2007-2008 school year, she volunteered with a certified occupational therapist helping patients in the Southgate Nursing Home rehabilitation unit and children with special needs.
A 2008 graduate of Salem High School, Jared volunteered in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cumberland and Salem Counties’ mentoring program. She was matched with the same child, now enrolled in Salem Middle School, for three school years. Alexandrea also volunteered for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life several years. At Salem High School, she participated in the Future Business Leaders of America and Interact Club which performs community service projects. Through Interact, she was selected to help feed needy families with the FAST (Families and Schools Together) program in her junior and senior years. Twice, she earned first place in the Martin Luther King Jr. essay contest.
Jared will attend Philadelphia University and was accepted into the five-year pre-physician assistant program. After graduation from college, she plans to become a physician assistant at a children’s hospital and a part-time missionary with “Doctors without Borders.” The organization’s representatives volunteer in third-world countries.
Graduating students from a Salem County high school were eligible for the Salem County 2000 community service award. Salem County 2000 is a volunteer partnership dedicated to community and individual improvement through lifelong learning.
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