International Community Service Award
First Place
Norfolk Council 367
Norfolk, Va.
It all started with a phone call. In October 2007, a representative of the Norfolk Public Schools called Norfolk Council 367 in Norfolk, Va., to ask about renting the council hall for an awards presentation and banquet for the district’s special needs students.
The school district got more than they asked for — the council donated the hall, purchased the food and prepared a full-course meal for the students and their families for the event. When the council members saw the looks on the faces of the guests in their council home, they immediately knew that this would be an annual event.
Before the 2009 ceremony, however, the partnership between the council and this group of students moved to the next level. When approached again by the same school administrator to assist at a job fair to help the students find fulfilling jobs after graduation, the council again went above and beyond by securing participation from several local businesses in the job fair, including many small businesses owned by Knights.
The job placement program was a huge success, as was the second annual awards ceremony and banquet on May 28, 2009, and the third on May 27, 2010.