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Hospital auxiliary honors teen volunteers
0801COMMUNITY
Simin Savani won the Andrew J. Dockery Teen Volunteer of the Year Award and a $500 scholarship. She received the award from Beverly Filson, left, who co-chairs the Teen Volunteer Committee.

The Medical Center Auxiliary honored more than 100 teen volunteers during an appreciation dinner Tuesday night at the Brenau Downtown Center.

A total of 130 teen volunteers from 28 schools were accepted into the 2017 summer program, and they have donated 4,933 hours of service at Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s hospitals in Gainesville and Braselton.

“Each year, teen volunteers arrive to serve at our campuses with smiling faces, such positive attitudes and good hearts,” said Nancy Colston, president and chief development officer of The Medical Center Foundation. “The teen volunteers are no doubt highly capable, passionate and have an increasing eagerness to help others and explore health care careers.”

Simin Savani won the Andrew J. Dockery Teen Volunteer of the Year Award and a $500 scholarship. Savani has volunteered for the past two summers and given 130 hours. She graduated with honors from Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, and she will attend the University of Georgia in the fall to pursue a degree in computer science.

Also receiving scholarships from The Medical Center Auxiliary for exemplary service were twin sisters Alison and Sarah Schultz. These two have given more than 250 hours of combined service.

In addition, 14 seniors who graduated from seven different schools were recognized. As a group, the teen volunteers contributed more than 1,602 hours of service.

Parth Purani, a rising senior at Buford High School who has volunteered 108 hours, won the teen volunteers’ creative writing contest that involves a short essay on what volunteering means to the teens.

Hannah Lee, a rising senior at Flowery Branch High School, won the teen volunteers’ T-shirt design contest, where teens were asked to use the theme “Teen Volunteers Making a Difference in the World” to create a unique design.

The Auxiliary said the volunteers hours given by the teens were equivalent to a value of more than $119,000.

Ninety-seven volunteers received awards for completing 30 or more hours of service. Also honored were four teens who gave more than 200 hours of service: Ingrid Islas, Megan Moore, Vamshi Pandiri and Sloane Sengson.