Meghan Cheatham, a Collinsville High School senior, has received the President’s Spirit of Community Award — including a congratulatory letter signed by President Barack Obama.
Meghan qualified for the award based on the service hours she has given to the community. The President’s Spirit of Community Award recognizes Americans who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and country.
Volunteering is so embedded in Megan’s schedule that she doesn’t even desire the “down time” valued by so many teenagers. She continues to look for new opportunities to help people and causes that are important to her.
She is past-president of the Key Club at Collinsville High School. The Key Club’s purpose is to help community organizations, events and the needy. Megan helped increase membership from 12 active members to 64. She is also a member of the CHS Student Council and Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA).
An effort important to Meghan is the Eliminate Project, an outreach initiative of Kiwanis International. The Eliminate Project raises funds to help vaccinate expectant mothers in third world countries against maternal and neonatal tetanus. During Megan’s time working with Kiwanis through the Key Club, the project reached its international goal of raising $110 million.
Meghan has also served as the volunteer manager of the Kahok Football team. This meant getting to summer practices at 6 a.m. along with the players and staying until all the work was complete. In addition to attending all practices, meetings and games, Meghan’s duties included keeping track of rosters, playeråÕs forms, paperwork and weightlifting goals, as well as duties like readying the coaches’ headsets and keeping track of footballs.
Meghan was recruited during her sophomore year for the football manager position by CHS Counselor and then Assistant Football Coach TaRael Kee. Mr. Kee knew the team was in need of someone reliable and responsible to take the job and Meghan immediately came to mind.
“The Kahok Football Team couldn’t work without her,” says Kee. Meghan has already helped select and train the replacement that will work with the team next fall when she heads off to college.
Meghan is a Clinical Nursing student in the vocational program at CHS. She also volunteers several hours a week at an area nursing home. After graduation this spring, she will attend Murray State University in Kentucky and pursue a career as a nurse practitioner focused on either the emergency department or operating room.
In addition to her many volunteer hours, Meghan works at Laura Buick GMC in Collinsville and as a lifeguard and swim teacher at Splash City Waterpark.
“I like to volunteer because of the connection with the people I help,” says Meghan. “You don’t volunteer for recognition. If I were to have the opportunity to speak with young people about volunteering, I would tell them that it was the best decision I made in my high school career. It completely changed my life. I may have given up my free time, but in the end, the joy that has come out of seeing a smile that I have directly caused is the best feeling in the world.”
The President’s Volunteer Service Award is granted through the Prudential Spirit of Community Program on behalf of President Barack Obama. Volunteer activities were judged based on criteria including personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth.