The current issue of the CE National e-newsletter calls attention to this article from the Dayton (OH) Daily News about an outstanding young man from the Grace Brethren Church of Brookville, Ohio. This is an excerpt–to read the entire article click here.
Honor takes young man by surprise
Jacob Blevins (pictured) of New Lebanon may not have seen his Young Person of the Year honor coming — but those around him did.
NEW LEBANON — When Jacob Blevins was named New Lebanon’s Young Person of the year in November, he was more than a little shocked.
“I was really surprised,” Jacob said. “I didn’t see it coming”
But plenty of others did. Jacob is known for his volunteerism, his involvement in school and church activities and his extroverted personality.
Jacob, in fact, can distill his gregarious personality into a single sentence: “I’ve never met a stranger,” he said.
Highlights of Jacob’s recent volunteer activities begin with his work to restore lives after Hurricane Katrina. In 2007, he traveled with his church youth group and joined over 2000 other students at the University of Southern Mississippi.
They were shuttled into Louisiana to help restore homes lost in the 2005 hurricane. Jacob said he was surprised to see “everyone literally living in a trailer.”
Over a week, crews rebuilt homes from the ground up. Jacob, along with Colt Stout, another Dixie High School student, chipped in, first painting siding and then installing metal strips to reinforce the wood.