Fiona Cowell – Olympia Youth Wins Award for Community Service

fiona cowell
Fiona job shadows her mom, Alena, a veterinarian (and owner/partner) at Hawks Prairie Veterinary Hospital.
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By Natasha Ashenhurst

SCJ Alliance logoA few weeks ago, Fiona Cowell, age 12, arrived home from basketball practice to the news that her mother was calling a family meeting.

“I thought someone was in trouble,” said Fiona. “But then she told me I’d won the award, and I started crying.”

The award that brought on the tears is the Prudential Spirit of Community Award, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. As one of two State Honorees, Fiona will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. in early May.

fiona cowell
Fiona poses with her dog, Daisy, a Harrier Cross. Photo credit: J.Sags Photography

4-H Member Since Age 5

Fiona, a sixth-grader at Black Lake Elementary, has worked on many volunteer projects with her Thurston County 4-H clubs. She first joined 4-H at age five when her mother, a former 4-H member herself, became a club leader. Soon after, Fiona adopted Daisy, a Harrier Cross, from Joint Animal Services, and the two of them began participating in the 4-H dog project. “In dog project 4-H, we not only train our dogs, but we also train our minds to learn about their care, facts, anatomy, different breeds and diseases. We also teach the public at our county fair about dogs,” she explained. Today, Fiona belongs to three 4-H Clubs: Steamboat Island Kibbles and Bits Dog Club, Open Pawsibilities Cat Club and the Veterinary Science Club, led by her mother who is a veterinarian at Hawks Prairie Veterinary Hospital.

4-H Promotes Community Service

One of Fiona’s community service projects involved Joint Animal Services, the very organization where Fiona found Daisy. “My club got together and bought fabric and made dog toys. We sold the toys, and the money that we raised we gave to Joint Animal Services,” she said.

Fiona also spent time at For Heaven’s Sake Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation, the only wildlife rehabilitation non-profit in Thurston County. There, Fiona and one of her 4-H groups helped clean animal enclosures. Claudia Supensky, founder and director of For Heaven’s Sake, said, “We rely heavily on our volunteers. The 4-H kids come and help clean enclosures, work on the landscaping or listen to one of our educational programs.”

fiona cowell
Fiona job shadows her mom, Alena, a veterinarian (and owner/partner) at Hawks Prairie Veterinary Hospital.

It isn’t just animals that receive help from Fiona and her clubs. They also frequently help at the Thurston County Food Bank and area nursing homes. Fiona enjoys visiting nursing home residents with Daisy. She said, “At one nursing home I was assigned to a really nice elderly lady. She wanted Daisy to sit on her lap, but Daisy was too big, so Daisy put her two front paws on her bed. The residents talk a lot about their pets. It seems to bring back memories for them and they enjoyed that.”

Alena Cowell, Fiona’s mother, says that community service is a large part of 4-H, but that is only one of the reasons she is committed to it, not only as a parent but as a club leader. She said, “I grew up participating in 4-H and got a lot out it. It really helps with public speaking, which is important, but it also helps them grow and be the best people they can be. Fiona does a lot with her clubs, and it is great for the kids to get out there and see the good impact they can have on the community.”

Fiona Cowell agrees with her mom about power of volunteerism, not only for improving the community, but for individual growth as well. She said, “It is not just about helping other people, but it is good for you too.”

fiona cowell
Fiona and Daisy volunteer at a nursing home.

In May, Fiona, accompanied by her mom, will join the other top youth volunteers in Washington D.C. While there, the 102 State honorees – one middle school and one high school student from each state and the District of Columbia – will tour the capital’s landmarks, meet top youth volunteers from other parts of the world, attend a gala awards ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and visit their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill.

On May 4, ten of the State Honorees – five middle school and five high school students – will be named America’s top youth volunteers of 2015. These National Honorees will receive additional $5,000 awards, as well as medallions, trophies and grants for the nonprofit charity of their choice.

For more information on all of this year’s Prudential Spirit of Community State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists, visit http://spirit.prudential.com

 

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