JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – A senior at Science Hill High School was honored after dedicating hundreds of hours to community service.
A release from Johnson City Schools states Om Patel has accumulated more than 583 volunteer hours during his time at Science Hill. Patel was given the Ambassador Award by the United Nations Association of the United States of America.
Patel was honored for logging more than 220 hours of service “with a special dedication to delivering impact toward UN Global Goal 4: Quality Education.”
School leaders say Patel was shocked to receive the award since he had not been trying to get recognized for his community service.
“The little things you do have such a big impact,” Patel said in the release. “There are so many different ways to volunteer. My volunteering is mainly in hunger prevention, so I do food drives and stuff. But there are tons of different ways that people can help, like picking up trash on the trail. You may not get hours towards it, but it helps toward the bigger cause.”
Patel’s hours stemmed from time helping at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center, the Coalition 4 Kids and Johnson City’s One Acre Cafe. In addition, he built a free pantry in downtown Johnson City, which took him about 40-50 hours to finish.
Patel also plays tennis for the Hilltoppers and earned Eagle Scout status during his sophomore year.
