The YMCA’s Buckhead location, the Carl E. Sander’s Family YMCA, presented the Volunteer of the Year award to students from Warren Technical School interested in early childhood learning. Sutton Middle School student Honor Crandall was named Teen Leader of the Year for her involvement with the adaptive swim program at the Sanders Y.
Students at Chamblee’s Warren Technical School who are interested in early childhood learning volunteered in the play center and in the Parents Morning Out and Learning Academy programs. Warren Technical School, which provides special needs students with instruction in job readiness and life skills, teamed up with the Sanders Y to give the students an opportunity to work with children.
“To see our students implement what has been taught in the classroom is inspiring,” said Tavia Miller, early childhood education vocational teacher at Warren Technical School. “They have fun while learning skills that will help them enter the workforce after graduation. The students have said that they would volunteer again – even after graduation.”
Crandall, a lifelong member of the Y and a volunteer since she was 9, received the Teen Leader award in recognition for her work with the adaptive swim program, which is designed for children with special needs. She is also active with the summer swim camp and with tennis and swim teams at the Y.
“The Y is a place that I grew up going to and still love to go to,” Crandall said. “The most important reason I continue to be involved with the Y is the children. During the school year and during the summer, the thing on my mind the most is how I can help them continually learn new things.”
They were honored at the “Celebration of Community Champions” dinner on Jan. 26.