United Way honors students for volunteer service

The United Way Volunteer Center has honored a graduating senior from Polson High School and a student at Salish Kootenai College with the 2009 United Way Community Service Award for their for their outstanding volunteer efforts in their communities.

The $500 award may be used for education support, including books, transportation and tuition.

Recipients of the awards, their schools and some of their volunteer activities are:

Polson High School: Caitlin Mahoney volunteered for 343 hours to organizations including the Summer Migrant Program, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, her church youth group and Ecology Project International. She plans to attend Oregon State University in Corvallis, where she will study marine biology.

Salish Kootenai College: Monroe Johnson volunteered 1048 hours to a variety of community activities, including Americorps/VISTA, the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship and the National Congress of American Indians. He plans to continue his education at the University of Montana.