He’s a volunteer among volunteers – secretary
of Interact Club and treasurer of Octagon Club. Next year, as
president, he will lead both of those Centerville High School
service organizations. He’s a volunteer among volunteers – secretary
of Interact Club and treasurer of Octagon Club. Next year, as
president, he will lead both of those Centerville High School
service organizations.
For his volunteer leadership in high school and for his many other volunteer activities, Kyle Bruggeman has earned the fourth annual Washington Township Community Service Award, presented annually to the Centerville High School student who best exemplifies a spirit of community service.
Washington Township Trustees established the award in 2003 to help focus attention on the importance of public service in building stronger communities.
“Kyle is a young man of service, integrity and character. He places high value on being involved in service opportunities both in and out of school,” said Kate Srp, CHS Interact Club Advisor, who nominated him for the honor. “He’s a wonderfully self-motivated individual who always strives to meet challenges and diligently works to achieve any goal he sets.”
As a member of Interact and Octagon clubs, he has worked at the Centerville Rotary’s pancake breakfast, the Centerville-Washington Township Park District’s haunted trail, and at an Easter egg hunt for kids. He also has supervised games at Washington Township Woodland Lights where he has played Rudolph the reindeer.
His favorite volunteer activity is the high school Recycling Club, which collects recycled paper from classrooms every Friday. “I do it with a group of my closest friends. We just have a good time,” he says.
Why does Kyle volunteer? “In our community we have so much that it’s easy to take it for granted. Volunteering opens your eyes and helps you give back to others.” One side benefit, he says, is the feeling that volunteers receive from giving. “I feel great that I can help people out. It makes me feel better about myself,” says Kyle, who recommends volunteering for teenagers who are looking for a positive way to boost their self esteem.
Kyle’s interest in volunteering began years ago as he watched his mother. “My mother always has played a big part in volunteering at our schools, so I’ve seen how that helps. I realized just how much parents were able to help us.”
His own volunteer experience began in sixth grade when he taught Sunday school to kindergarten students as part of a religion class requirement at Church of the Incarnation in Washington Township. “The kids in the class we taught would get so excited. It was neat to see how they looked up to the volunteers,” he said.
Kyle was hooked. After that came other volunteer endeavors through his church – such as helping in a soup kitchen and a food pantry, and preparing holiday gifts and parties for families in need. “When I started volunteering, I really enjoyed it. I saw how important it was to our community. This is such a great community, so for me to give back is just wonderful.”
Many of Kyle’s interests naturally overflow into a volunteer activity. He runs cross country on his high school team, so he volunteered for a 5K run at St. Leonard Faith Community. He loves chemistry and his team from Centerville just placed third at the National Science Olympiad tournament. So he shares his passion with younger students as a volunteer at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery and as a Chem Buddy teaching chemistry to elementary students.
Another favorite is a fairly new endeavor -- Habitat for Humanity. Says Kyle: “I can see the actual product, someone actually living in this house I helped build, and I can see how much having a house means to a family.”
In addition to being involved in service to the community, he maintains a 4.0 grade point average and is ranked 41 st in a class of 663 students in the junior class. Kyle is the son of Douglas and Janet Bruggeman of 9311 Leafy Hollow Court in Washington Township.