Samuel Shams

As a high school student, Samuel Sham’s quiet, dedicated leadership has given hope and enabled children and youth to make a difference in their community.

Through two years of intense volunteerism with over 200 hours of service, Samuel started a program to instill pride, dignity and respect in children in a public housing area in Bunnell, FL. Through Samuel’s leadership the children learned how to brainstorm on the challenges they identified in their community. Samuel worked closely with the children to empower them to create solutions and implement action plans for solution.

Gardens were planted, with produce distributed to the elderly in the housing project. To help with trash problems, trash receptacles were designed and constructed by the children with Samuel’s help, and placed throughout the housing area.

Samuel has encouraged his peers to volunteer also, organizing high school students into Project HOPE, Helping Others Provide Encouragement, and Mission History, partnering various groups in the community to restore and preserve an African American cemetery. Samuel’s efforts in this venture created an avenue to promote cross-racial communication and inspiration.

Samuel Shams was nominated by Flagler Palm Coast High School for the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year awards presented by the United Way’s Volunteer Center of Volusia-Flagler Counties, FL, and Bright House Networks. Because of his efforts to empower children, Samuel was chosen as the Winner in the Individual Youth Category.