GPPA Awards College Grant

 Jessica Befort Recognized for Environmental Service    

     GPPA is pleased to announce that Jessica Befort has been awarded the group's 2007 college grant of $1,000. Jessica is a senior at Cactus Shadows High School and plans to study journalism at the University of Arizona next year.

      Jessica was named to the National Honor Society in her junior and senior years. Her cumulative grade point average (GPA) is 4.0. Jessica is a member of the Key Club and served as the group’s president during her senior year. The Key Club conducts community service activities such as charity fund raisers and roadside cleanups. Jessica, a resident of Cave Creek and a native Arizonan, is also a member of the Spanish Honor Society.

     Graduating seniors who have been accepted for college in the coming fall were invited to submit applications for the awards. The applications were evaluated by a GPPA committee based on the past performance and future potential , with particular focus on activities demonstrating a commitment to desert preservation, wildlife conservation, and the protection of quality of life in our community. Applicants were also asked to submit referral letters from two teachers and a paper describing what the work they have done to help the environment we live in.

     Members of the GPPA awards committee were Horst Berkner, Evelyn Vanderbeck, Ken Melnick, who chaired the committee. Evelyn presented the award at the awards ceremony that was held on Monday, May 14th.

Jessica's Paper Describing Her Environment-Related Service Activities

     Every day, society is bombarded by warnings of the demise of its environment. An Inconvenient Truth threatens the approach of global warming. The Academy Awards encourage their viewers to go "green." Most people overlook the fact that environmental conservation must start locally. For me, locally means the Sonoran Desert - the palo verde tree peeking over my backyard wall; the javelin that cross my path, shooting me a wary look. Not to say the Sonoran Desert is more important to me than the environment as a whole. The Sonoran Desert is my environment. 

     Litter Removal

      I have walked Carefree Highway, between 56th and 52nd streets, many times. I know that the north side is always more littered with trash than the south. I know that I can never make the entire stretch without less than two gigantic, heavy-duty trash bags. Why? Over the past four years, I have assisted the Cactus Shadows High School Key Club in cleaning its adopted highway, covering the half-mile stretch more than a dozen times.  

     Now, as the current president of Key Club, it is my duty to encourage and foster this same sense of commitment to the environment in the other members. I can't lie - this wasn't always appealing to me. I realized, though, that my actions stretched beyond merely cleaning up the highway. I am cleaning the same bushes, trees, and cacti that many desert animals call home. I am clearing the path of those, both Arizonans and tourists, who enjoy taking walks through the breathtaking Sonoran Desert. This has become more than a community service. It’s become an event that I feel is necessary. I am proud that I always have the assistance of my Key Clubbers but even if I didn't, I would still be out there.

      Recycling

     Recycling may not seem the cure all for environmental degradation, but no goal is too small. This past school year, I facilitated Key Club's involvement in over a half dozen partnerships with the city of Carefree and its recycling program. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the third Saturday of each month, the Key Club and I donated our time to assisting those who wanted to donate their trash. Plastics, paper, aluminum and glass can all be reused. Recyclers just need assistance. 

     During my tenure, I also successfully led my club in cell phone recycling. The company to which we donated the cell phones will either restore them or break them down in accordance with regulations governing the disposal of arsenic, mercury, lead, and other toxic cell phone components. I was honored to lend a hand to such a worthy cause.

      Making a Difference

     Yes, I might be one person, and Key Club may only be a tiny organization. But I know that the work I do to better the Sonoran Desert will one day have a global impact on my environment. As Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."      

E-Brief Monthly, May 2007