By Alix Youngblood

While most families set out to go shopping and ice skating, Eve Brown was at home in the kitchen cooking meals for the needy. Brown and her family have been active volunteers for the Meals on Wheels program for many years, an association dedicated to providing nutritious meals for underprivileged senior citizens.

During her sophomore year, Brown became a member of Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization that builds homes for families in need. Though initially she was just asked to volunteer, by the end of the year she recruit students to assist with the project, and was eventually asked to head up the program the following year.
Preston “Stone” Persons may only be a freshman, but his demonstrated dedication to community service may outshine older students at Grady. Similar to Brown, he had been very active in Habitat for Humanity; but he is most passionate about helping at the Children’s Hospital of Atlanta and tutoring students at Intown Academy.

Both Persons and Brown have now gained recognition for their hard work. For the past four years, Atlanta Intown Paper has annually selected a group of 20 students under the age of 20 who have gone above and beyond to give back to the community.

“Many students are awarded for athletics and academics – were putting a twist on that and drawing attention to community service,” Atlanta Intown Media Publisher Wendy Binns said.

This year, Brown and Persons were selected and will represent Grady in the coming issue.
Brown is proud of her work, and has reaped a few benefits of her own from the process.

“I know it sounds cliche, but feeling that you’re doing something that doesn’t just help yourself is so satisfying,” Brown said.

Brown’s surprise is exactly why Binns finds the article to be important to the paper.
“It is our small way to validate all of the effort these students make with their hundreds of hours of service,” Binns said. “We want to say that we notice what they’re doing. In many cases, it has encouraged students to take on more projects.”

Looking into the future, Brown is hopeful about the prospects and future projects of Habitat for Humanity.
“I’m continuing to fundraise,” Brown said. “I’m also looking for people to recruit for next year. It’s a harder job then I’d like it to be. I’m hopeful that people will be as ambitious and excited about volunteer work as they are about their other hobbies.”