Eleanor Leran Song - Bronze Award

School: Stoller Middle School
Category: Teens (11-15)
Hours: 50

Eleanor has had a fiery passion for reading since the time she memorized the lines of a picture book as a preschooler: The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams. The book engraved the love for reading onto her heart and it has stayed there since. This summer, twelve-year-old Eleanor decided to spend her free time helping other children immerse themselves in this bright world of endless possibilities. Her local library runs an annual summer reading program that gives people a chance to volunteer to help their community and also a chance to begin reading for rewards. Eleanor had been signing up for summer reading since it was available to her, and always wondered as a young child how the helpers behind the desk were offered such an opportunity. When given the option to volunteer there herself, she took it without hesitation, finalizing about fifty hours at the local library. The role was to help people sign up for the summer reading program, then, later in the summer, help them receive rewards. The program included two people per two hour shifts, and she and the other volunteers met plenty of new people along the way.

Oregon Chinese Coalition is proud to join the President of the United States in recognizing the volunteers who consistently take the time to make a difference in the lives of others. Therefore, it is a great honor to present the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) to Eleanor Song.