Villa Duchesne Senior Wins Service Awards

Name: Annie Basler

Grade: Senior

School: Villa Duchesne

Accomplishments: Annie took a trip to Haiti to volunteer and received the Certificate of Excellence from the 2011 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and the President’s Volunteer Service Award.

Key to awesomeness: This past February, Annie spent a week in Haiti working at a regional hospital and a mission house. The trip was through the CRUDEM Foundation (Center for the Rural Development of Milot), an organization that supports Hôpital Sacré Coeur in Milot, Haiti. CRUDEM was founded by St. Louisan, Theodore J. Dubuque, Jr., M.D.

Annie worked in the hospital’s nutrition center and observed surgeries. She also worked on the mission house by painting rooms and other tasks in order to repair it after the damage from the January 2010 earthquake, Annie’s mother, Liz, said.

In addition to her work in Milot, Annie went with a group of other volunteers to the rural areas of Haiti, where there’s no water or electricity, and distributed soccer balls to the children.

Locally, Annie volunteers at Karen’s House, a home for homeless women and children in north St. Louis. She first got involved with the facility through Villa Duchesne.

In recognition of Annie’s many hours of service she has received two prestigious awards. The Spirit of Community award honors young people who are making a positive difference in their communities and is the U.S.A.’s largest youth recognition program based on volunteer community service. The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes and honors people who have worked a certain number of hours volunteering.

Annie is hesitant about the recognition she’s received for her service. “She’s just been very quietly going about her volunteer work,” Liz said.

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