10-25-2021 11:01pm

This Year's Recognize a Youth (RAY) Award Recipients are Honored (Updated)

Darlene Cancell Editor

This year's RAY award winners are (from left) Katie Mullin, Caroline James, Vivienne Woodard, Ryan Kissell and Jack Foscaldo.

On Monday evening, October 25, 2021, before a roomful of family and community members in Westwood Main Library's community room, five young Westwood residents were honored with the Recognize a Youth Award.

The RAY award recognition is given by Westwood Youth & Family Services and the Westwood Rotary each year. The organizations look for young people who, through initiative and commitment to community service, have demonstrated an ethic of caring for others that is essential to the health of the community.

This year's honorees are Westwood residents Jack Foscaldo, Caroline James, Ryan Kissell, Katie Mullin and Vivienne Woodard. Each of the awardees was nominated by a member of the local community.

Jack Foscalso

Jack Foscalso is a recent Westwood High School graduate and a freshman at Babson College. He was nominated by Ms. Karlene Duffy of St. Margaret Mary Parish for the many ways he has supported the church, from the simple, but helpful act of carrying chairs, to the more laborious task of shoveling snow.

A National Honor Society member and entrepreneur, Jack has also successfully started two businesses. He runs Maple Jack's maple syrup company and sells honey as a beekeeper.

Caroline James

Eighth grader Caroline James has turned her passion for reading into an act of service. She has collected and sorted a staggering number of books - one thousand - to send to eager readers in Africa. To pay for shipping costs, she took initiative by hosting entertaining Zoom reading sessions for children. She is also active in her school musical and chorus. Caroline was nominated by Westwood resident Laura Horsfall.

When asked why community service is important, Caroline responded, "Everything happens due to what someone says or what someone does." She noted that people have power to effect change, and that one person's action can create a ripple effect of additional actions.

"Before you know it, the community and the world is changed," she said. It's important for people to use their power, she added.

Ryan Kissel

Ryan Kissel is a 2021 Westwood High School graduate and freshman at Boston College. He says he believes community service is important because it helps create a more welcoming community, and creates a place that everyone wants to live in.

Ryan was nominated by the town's Veterans Officer Michelle Miller for his involvement in two activities. Ryan led a fundraiser for the USO's phone card program. He also coordinated a successful plan to enable small groups to take part in decorating graves for Memorial Day. The plan took into account safe practices during the pandemic such as social distancing.

At Westwood High School, Ryan was active in Latin Club and the school publication, We the People, which educates the high school community on issues of government and citizenship.

Katie Mullin

Katie Mullin is a Westwood High School senior who was nominated by the school's Director of Guidance Caroline Higgins. In the last year, Katie organized a group of high school students to visit Thurston Middle School for one-hour sessions on bias, racism, and privilege. She is a member of the Friendship Club and Key Club, among other activities.

In accepting her award, Katie noted her gratitude for the opportunities she has been given to develop skills that she will take to college to impact her community there.

Vivienne Woodard

Vivienne Woodard is a Westwood High School junior who was nominated by Westwood Library's Teen Services Librarian, Felicia O'Keefe. Vivienne assembled the library's Take and Make Crafts, offered to Westwood children. For each week over the span of about half a year, she created themed kits based on each letter of the alphabet, starting from the letter E onwards. She was praised for an ever-helpful attitude.

Vivienne remarked that she was surprised to learn of receiving the RAY award. Rather than considering her own helpfulness to the library, Vivienne says she has considered the library her lifesaver during the pandemic. She expressed gratefulness, saying that the library was doing her a service simply by letting her come in. She welcomed the lessons the library has taught her in "life, service, and how important it is to be active in the community."

Thanks to Westwood Youth & Family Services for sharing news of this event with Westwood Minute.

Updated 10/26/21 at 7:17 p.m. A correction to the name of the person nominating Ryan Kissell has been corrected to "Michelle Miller."

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