A Poyen, Ark., High School student who gathered food, money and gifts to benefit the families of heart transplant patients has won the 2010-11 Daniel Cayce Award for Inspirational Leadership in Public Service.
With the help of his high school Beta Club, Brady Hogg organized the drive, “Mending a Broken Heart,” in memory of his brother Jake, who died after complications from a heart transplant in 2007.
“I wanted a project that would make a difference so I talked with my club sponsor about a project in memory of my brother Jake to help current transplant patients at the hospital where I spent so many days and nights of my life for a year and a half,” Hogg wrote in an essay.
Named after 2005 winner Daniel Cayce of Bearden who worked for 14 years helping needy families in southeast Arkansas, the Cayce Award is given annually by the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service to an Arkansas high school student who has exemplified outstanding public service.
Hogg and his fellow club members collected 433 pounds of nonperishable food items, $817 and more than 150 Christmas presents for the families of five transplant patients.
Hogg and six other club members delivered the donations to Baptist Hospital in Little Rock in December. They were greeted by several of Jake Hogg’s original support staff and his cardiologist.
“I meant to help others and I think I ended up being helped even more than the transplant patients by being able to give to them in my brother’s memory,” Hogg wrote.
Hogg was given the Cayce Award at a ceremony today at the Clinton School. He was chosen from a group of 10 finalists.
“It’s inspiring to see the outstanding work these students have done in their communities,” said Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford. “These students and their families should be very proud. It’s exciting to see young people who are so passionate about public service.”
Other finalists included:
– Anneliese Armstrong of Parkview High School who helped raise more 3,000 cans of food through her school’s canned food drive.
– Anthony Bradley and Greg Gaines of Ashdown High School who produced the song “Stop, Think and then Choose,” a rap song that details the harmful effects of drug and alcohol use.
– Mallorie Deaton of Manila High School who helped organize a Veterans Day program in her local community.
– Aaron Green of Cave City who worked with the Sharp County Natural Gas Project to digitally map locations of those in the community supportive of extending a natural gas pipeline.
– Alex McDuffie of Springdale who volunteers at Kids Club, a summer camp for adolescents living with disabilities.
– Allison Porterfield of Benton High School who organized a school-wide recycling project through her involvement in Girl Scouts.
– Jodi Schmidt of Episcopal Collegiate School in Little Rock who coordinated “Homes for Haiti,” with the Clinton Museum Store to raise money for the Clinton Haiti Relief Fund.
– Tevin Wooten of Camden Fairview High School who volunteers with the “Rocket Scientist in Training” program, which teaches elementary school children the basics of water pressure and aerodynamics.