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Two young people from the Grants Pass, Oregon corps were surprised recently when the special event they were to attend turned out to be for them. Corps Officers Lts. Colin and Felecia Davis-Pederson asked the girls to come to a Saturday service. The girls, who are active in their corps, agreed. When they arrived, they discovered that the event was a celebration of the time they’ve given to community service.
Major Jolene Hodder presented Racheal Foster, 12, and Katie Foster, 14, with their “President 2004 Volunteer Service” awards. Racheal received a gold award for over 100 hours of service and Katie received a bronze award for over 50 hours of service.
“We just couldn’t be more impressed with these girls,” said Hodder. “Their hard work, dedication and creativity in serving other is inspirational.”
The girls spent their summer vacation volunteering with their dad, Robert Foster, in distributing approximately 125 food boxes a week at the corps’ food bank.
“When they went back to school, people receiving the boxes sure missed them,” says Robert. “They seemed to spread their joy to those around them.”
In addition, the girls give much of their time to two elderly sisters who live across the street from their home. They provide help with household work such as emptying the garbage or cooking dinners.
Racheal and Katie are actively involved in the corps. They attend Sunday school and help sing during worship. They are excited to join Girl Guards, which is meeting for the first time this month. Katie is a Camp Kuratli SEARCH team member, completing monthly assignments that are reviewed by the divisional youth secretary.
Surprised by the attention,the girls simply stated “we just love helping others.”
“And you don’t even have to pay me,” added Racheal.