Haley Reimbold's résumé already contains a lifetime of service activities. As director of the Hamilton Action Volunteer Outreach Coalition (known, affectionately, as "HAVOC"), Haley oversees volunteer efforts of more than 400 students through 30 ongoing community service programs, including:
- youth outreach and tutoring;
- service-based "Alternative" Spring Break trips;
- AIDS/HIV awareness;
- Hospice and elderly care;
- Red Cross blood drives;
- volunteer work at shelters and soup kitchens.
Somehow, she's made it all happen in just a few years. "I've always felt a moral obligation to help and empower people who aren't in a privileged position," she said. "When I came to Hamilton, I hoped to start a Red Cross club, but I also felt compelled to get involved in much more."
When she's not planning HAVOC's next effort, Haley works to raise community awareness of social justice issues. A member of the Coalition for Social Justice, she's using her own coursework in philosophy, sociology and women's studies to design a new, interdisciplinary major focused on social justice. "A lot of students could benefit from a better understanding of social justice," she said, "and this major would apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world problems."
Haley's work has not gone unnoticed. First, she was elected to Was Los, an honor society of six service-minded Hamilton students. Then, she received Hamilton's Kingsley Prize Scholarship, which recognizes students with the potential for significant academic achievement and community leadership. Finally, ... there's the BIG one.
The "big" one?
In May, Haley's volunteer service and academic accomplishments earned her "The Russ Berrie Award for Making a Difference." The New Jersey-based Russell Berrie Foundation, named after prominent philanthropist/entrepreneur Russ Berrie, annually honors "good Samaritans" with a variety of awards. Haley won the foundation's top prize: $50,000.
"My mother and my aunt had nominated me for the award secretly, so it was a surprise just to be among the finalists," said Haley. "When I won, I was shocked."
For Haley, the Russ Berrie award has been a motivating factor. "The other finalists had done truly extraordinary things like saving lives or starting international service organizations," she said. "More than anything, meeting them inspired me to do more."
