The Augusta Kiwanis Club awarded seven local high school students with the Augusta Kiwanis Club Distinguished Youth Award on May 9. This award recognizes students for their outstanding community service.

Award recipients included: Ben Reed, of Erskine Academy; Renee Rossi, of Gardiner Area High School; Brooklynn Belanger, of Capital Area Technical Center; Grace Begin, of Hall-Dale High School; Josephine Nutakki, of Cony High School; Jessica Clavet, of Monmouth Academy; and Jackson Ladd, of Winthrop High School.

Students completed an essay on what community service means to them. Kiwanians then interviewed each student at each school and chose one winner at each of seven schools.

Winners then attended a Kiwanis luncheon to accept their award and to talk about community projects they worked on. Kiwanians heard how passionate these students are about serving.

The Augusta Kiwanis Club is dedicated to serving the local community through various service and fundraising projects. Its club has been in service to the community for more than 95 years. It is part of Kiwanis International, an organization serving children for more than 100 years.

For more information, visit augustakiwanisclub.org.

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