Cy Ranch junior Genesis Smothers and senior Mathew Walther were named Distinguished Finalists in the 2016 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a prestigious award that honors exemplary community service.

“I’m really thankful for achieving this award, and being able to be a Distinguished Finalist and know that my hard work has been noticed,” Smothers said.

Smothers earned this distinction through her creation of a hands-on reading workshop for elementary kids in Katy. She reached out to community businesses to help her orchestrate this event, and several, including Half Price Books, Chick-Fil-A, and Raising Cane’s, donated food and books.

The workshop focused on engaging kids in reading, and Smothers visited teachers and websites to research how to motivate and engage kids in a past time that is slowly losing the interest of young children. To Smothers, building a love of reading is instrumental in future success.

“It’s the foundation of education and everything you do in life,” she said. “It’s a stepping stone to succeed in life because knowledge is definitely power.”

In the workshop, Smothers had the kids play reading games and read donated books to pique their interests.

“The kids left home with so many books and so excited to read,” she said. “It really opened my eyes that it’s not that kids don’t like to read, it’s that no one shows them reading is fun to do. Reading opens your eyes to different places around the world that you never thought you could travel to.”

The effects of this project will be long-lasting, as the elementary school that hosted her workshop will continue the project as an annual event.

However, Smothers’ attempts to introduce kids to the world of literature didn’t stop there. She also constructed a reading nook for the Krause Center for Homeless Youth, buying bean bags and accepting a donated bookshelf and books. She felt it was important her to share her love of reading with children in bad situations.

“I really wanted it to be a comfortable center to go and get out of their head space and not think about the situation they’re going through,” she said.

Walther’s qualifying project also aimed to improve literacy in the Houston area. He constructed two “mini libraries”–a wooden box with clear window doors–and filled them with donated books he received from a book drive. He placed these libraries in low-income areas, including an apartment complex and a trailer park, to improve access to literature.

“Literacy is step one to improving education,” he said. “I think that in low-income areas, the fact that we still have kids that are past grade school that can’t read is deplorable.”

Since Walther placed the libraries in these areas, the impact has been noticeable.

“I’d like to think that literacy has improved in those two areas,” he said.

Walther hopes his project will be a long-lasting monument to the power of community.

“It will be there as a reminder that despite the fact that these people are in low-income areas, they have people watching out for them and giving them assistance as they get through this hopefully temporary struggle,” he said.

Walther’s time volunteering has also earned him the President’s Volunteer Service Award, an honor that recognizes people who have spent significant amounts of time servicing their community. Walther’s many volunteer hours got him this distinction, which included a letter from the President thanking Walther for his time.

The process of volunteering benefits more than just his community. Walther, who plans to start a career in business, said that this experience has given him valuable skills.

“I learned the value of teamwork, and how important it is to have everyone on board,” he said. “It’s provided me with the best leadership experience I’ve ever gotten, and I think leadership is key to starting a business.”

Smothers has also taken important lessons from her service. She plans to study to become an engineer, and her inspiration for such a career is firmly rooted in her volunteering experience.

“I would like to create something that would one day help so many people,” she said.

Both Smothers and Walther will receive an engraved bronze medal for their distinction, but for them, the experience of volunteering is reward enough.

“I love helping kids so they can have a better future and we can all have that big American dream,” Smothers said. “Sometimes it seems unattainable, but when someone comes along and helps them out, it shows them that they have a big future to look forward to.”