Baylor Student Receives Community Hero Award

by Nincy Mathew, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

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Joey Morissette, a junior economics major from Houston, was recently honored for his dedication to the Cooperative for After-School Enrichment (CASE) by the Harris County Department of Education.

CASE provides after-school programs to about 10,000 children throughout Harris County.

Morissette was one of 14 AmeriCorps members to receive a Community Hero Award.

As an AmeriCorps member, Morissette works with children, teaching them the basic entrepreneurial skills required for any business to succeed. He also is creating curriculum guides that educate elementary and middle school children about saving money and making profits.

"One kid came back up to me and told me that, with the help of his parents, he had invested $20 of his own money in the stock market," said Morissette. "To see my teaching capture a kid's attention enough for him to go home and put it into use was a very exciting and rewarding experience for me."

By Aug. 14, Morissette will have served 450 hours, while earning a stipend of $2,875 and an education award of $1,250 to put toward tuition expenses.

Morissette applied for the CASE internship looking for a productive and lucrative job for the summer.

"I'm always looking to volunteer my time. One thing that has interested me is business infrastructure mission work," said Morissette. "I believe that instead of handing people aid and supplies, we should try and build a more productive society with their country. Sort of along the lines of the 'give a man a fish he has a meal for the day, but teach him to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime' adage," said Morissette.