Siblings Earn Presidential Volunteer Award
DANBURY — Siblings Nikhil, 16, Jenny, 13, and Maya Wadhwa, 13, of Newtown were granted a Presidential Volunteer Award for their community service over the past year during a ceremony at the Mayor’s Office at Danbury Town Hall last month.
According to their mother, Cheryl Wadhwa, the girls received letters from President Barack Obama, certificates, and gold pins for their accomplishment. Danbury Mayor Mark D. Boughton and United Way of Western Connecticut CEO Kim Morgan were present for the event.
“My siblings and I received the Presidential Service Award for our volunteering. Maya, my twin sister, and I received the gold level award, for volunteering for over 100 hours in the span of a year,” Jenny said in an e-mail on June 20. “The most significant project we completed this year was the work we did for an organization we started, Caring Cupcakes Bake and Bow Sale. We carried out more than 20 bake sales, and raised over $7,000 for the Newtown Memorial Fund with the help of our friends and family.”
The siblings also worked with United Way in Danbury, where they volunteered at various events aimed at improving the local community, according to Jenny.
“The most memorable project we participated in was during the summer, where my sister and I weeded sandboxes, mulched, and constructed a fence. We have Relayed For Life, helped at Leukemia walks, tutored repeatedly at an after school program in Danbury, helped teach CCD, visited nursing homes, and held a very successful food pantry collection with my Girl Scout Troop,” Jenny wrote.