Edinburg High School’s National Honor Society students earned the Service-Learning Champion Award in the 38th annual Governor’s Volunteer Awards, Gov. Greg Abbott’s office announced in a news release Monday.
The local students were one of 11 honorees revealed Monday.
“Texans truly are generous by nature,” Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott said in the release.
The state’s first lady serves as the honorary chair of the 2021 awards and made the announcement via the release.
“I am so inspired by the generosity and selfless dedication demonstrated by volunteers across this great state over this past year,” she said. “Now more than ever, we need to embrace our communities, and I am thrilled to recognize this year’s 11 outstanding awardees for leading the way.”
The awards are presented together with OneStar Foundation and recognize “exemplary service” by organizations and members of the public in their individual capacities who have “made a significant and measurable contribution to Texas communities,” the release said.
Abbott recognized the Edinburg students for being a “major asset” in assisting the South Texas Literacy Coalition, detailing its community outreach as well as its “instrumental” efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic by organizing drive-by distributions.
They distributed more than 10,000 free books to local students who come from “financially challenged” backgrounds.
NHS students in Edinburg were also recognized for holding bilingual book readings online and hosting a virtual book club.
“Many of the members also serve with South Texas Literacy Coalition as interns, helping to manage the office and organize literacy resources,” the release read. “In addition to these efforts, the members of the Edinburg Chapter of the National Honor Society assist other nonprofits in the South Texas Region, including the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, Ronald McDonald House, Greater Gold Foundation, Capable Kids Foundation, and Kiwanis International.”
The Edinburg High National Honor Society will be one of nearly a dozen honorees recognized during an online awards ceremony to be hosted by the awards chair. A date for the ceremony has not yet been announced.
