Baylor Grad Receives President's Volunteer Service Award

Media contact: Lori Fogleman, director of media communications, (254) 710-6275

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Kathryne Butler, a 2007 Baylor University graduate from League City, Texas, has been awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award, which was created by President George W. Bush in 2002 to recognize the tens of millions of Americans who have made a sustained commitment to volunteer service.

Butler is a member of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars, which in conjunction with the President's Volunteer Service Award, recognizes young people for outstanding community service, while encouraging others to serve. President's Volunteer Service Award is given to NSCS members who have demonstrated outstanding volunteer service and civic participation by completing 100 hours of service over the course of a 12-month period.

"I am honored to receive the President's Volunteer Service Award as a small token for my dedication to community service," Butler said. "It is amazing how just a few hours of my time can create a lasting impact on the lives of others. I have always been fortunate to have everything that I need, so giving back to my community is only a small service that I can provide. I only wish that I could do more than what I have already done. I greatly encourage students to get involved by volunteering their time because the rewards for this small service are far greater than you can imagine."

Butler completed a wide variety of service projects at Baylor, which totaled more than 240 service hours by the time she graduated with her BSED in Health Science Studies in December 2007. She credits her involvement in NSCS and CHI'S service sorority at Baylor for fostering her commitment to service.

"These organizations made it easy to get involved with service, as well as provided a variety of opportunities and amazing people to work along side of me," she said.

Butler volunteered her time for Steppin' Out, Project Linus, Friends for Life, Waco Wetlands, Operation Christmas Child, March to College Day, Caroling for Cans, Waco Family Abuse Center, Vista Care Hospice, Caritas Food Bank, Crop Walk for the Hungry, Miracle Match Marathon, Chi's Bunny Drive, Relay for Life and Special Olympics, just to name a few.

President's Volunteer Service Award winners receive a personalized certificate of achievement, a note of congratulations from the President of the United States, a letter from the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, and have their name posted on the NSCS Web site.

"The three pillars of NSCS are scholarship, leadership and service," said Stephen E. Loflin, executive director of NSCS. "Our members are committed to serving their communities and Kathryne Butler is a perfect example of that. The President's Volunteer Service Award is an ideal way to recognize and award Kathryne's service; we're proud to have Kathryne as a member."

Butler currently is pursuing a master's degree in healthcare administration at Texas Woman's University. She is the daughter of Chris and Janet Butler of League City, Texas.

ABOUT NSCS:
The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and is the nation's only interdisciplinary honors organization for first- and second-year college students. Membership is by invitation only, based on grade point average and class standing. NSCS offers members exclusive access to scholarships, career resources, leadership and networking opportunities. NSCS has more than 550,000 lifetime members and 228 chapters in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. For more information, contact Mishri Someshwar at someshwar@nscs.org.