Bissert Wins Excellence Award for Volunteerism

Three Keystone Oaks students have been named winners of the President’s Volunteer Service Award, a prestigious award that recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of time to serve their communities and their country.

Kathryn Bissert, Elizabeth Flaherty and Ryan Tang each received the award, which is part of the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program.

Bissert, a high school senior, also received the Award of Excellence for being among the top 10 percent of all applicants in Pennsylvania.

Bissert work with the Hillman Cancer Center earned her the awards. Through a project called, "Kinds With a Cause," Bissert, her sister Shelby, and their cousins have made and sold hundreds of purses, raising more than $15,000 for the cancer patients in the process.

"We had always raised money for the community and participated in various events here and there, but when we started this project we never imagined that six years later it would become this big," said Bissert, in a statement released by the school district this week. "I like to think that we've made a little bit of a difference and we're all very very proud of that."

This information was provided by Keystone Oaks School District. For more information about the district, its programs and student work, see the Keystone Oaks School District website.

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