Local student-debutantes set to receive prestigious Presidential Service Award
WENTWORTH—Seven Rockingham County Debutante Ambassadors recently learned they will receive the Presidential Service Award for outstanding service.
The Presidential Volunteer Service Award is an honor that recognizes US citizens for volunteer service which benefits their community. The award is given by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation on behalf of the President of the United States.
This year's 2024-2025 Debutante Ambassadors includes Laurel Ann Mackenzie Attaway, Ella Kate Barber, Ella Kate Delapp, Winter Aubrey Dixon, Kamrie Alyse Morris, Olivia Lynne Owen and Bella Reece Shearer.
The Leadership & Service Ambassador Program of Rockingham County Director, Chaplain Romalita Harrison, founded the first group in 2014 when she was a history teacher at Reidsville Senior High School.
While growing up, Harrison was immersed in faith at a Baptist church in her hometown of Newark, NJ. She later completed theology training at Duke Divinity School, then attended Princeton and became certified in youth and theology.
She said she feels it is important to help teach and share life lessons through mentorship and spread the word of God.
"I grew up around people who served and that just stayed with me. There were so many women that invested in me and took the time to mentor me and teach me discipleship. I grew up believing that was what I was supposed to do," said Harrison.
The goal of the Leadership & Service Ambassador Program is to educate, enrich, and encourage the intellectual and emotional development of young women.
While she was teaching at Reidsville, part of what sparked the idea for the program were kids coping with several school shootings across the United States that occurred in 2013 and 2014. Because of the bond Harrison had established, many of the students gravitated to her looking for rational answers to the irrational situations because of her background as a minister.
The many conversations she had with students led Harrison to help establish several different programs to give students safe and positive outlets. In addition to the Rockingham County Debutante Ambassadors Program, she also created a Black History course.
The Black History course was very popular from the start, but it was slow-going in the first year of the debutante ambassador program as it attracted only four students.
But the buzz surrounding Harrison and the program grew, and right before the COVID crisis, the county numbers had grown to 36 girls.
"I just wanted to do something to bring young people together. I prayed and asked God to give me some kind of way help because I felt so helpless and I thought if we did things together to learn about one another, that it would have a butterfly effect so to speak. And that might influence other people to be kind to each other and to be of service in the world," she said.
Harrison's efforts have paid off. Since the program's inception, the ambassadors have contributed more than 5,000 hours of community service to Rockingham County.
The program is open to any sophomore or junior high school student. There are no registration fees or minimum GPA requirements. Harrison said she is just looking for good kids that want to serve.
"We don't want to place limits on the young women, but it's always the cream of the crop. They are always very good students, and I don't have to worry about GPA and getting their homework done because they are such an inspiration to other people," Harrison said.
"There is a lot of work, and they have to make a decision on whether they want to do it or not. The service is really the big piece of it and they get the certification from the President of the United States. If you are providing 100 hours of community service, that shows you are really doing something to help other people and shows you are really committed," Harrison said.
The students participated in two to three weeks volunteering at child care centers and schools, reading to kids and helping them learn to read. These are just some of the examples of the vital investments the ambassadors contributed for the kids in Rockingham County.
Following the COVID crisis, interest in the Rockingham County Debutante Ambassadors understandably dropped off, but Harrison thinks it's important to renew interest in the program because of the benefit to the citizens and community.
"Just starting back up after COVID was really, really hard. Several girls approached me and said 'Please don't stop it. We have been waiting to be a part of this and if you would, please keep it going,'" she said.
Harrison knew that keeping the program going makes a positive difference and she hopes this group of ladies and their achievements will inspire the next group that will follow in their footsteps.
Next spring, Harrison said the ambassadors will partner with Cone Health to bring to the county the first wellness conference for teens.
The young ladies will be recognized at a formal ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Pennrose Park Country Club in Reidsville at 6 p.m.
In addition to her role as a hospital chaplain and ambassador program director, Harrison is the author a book of poetry and prayers "Conversations in Lavender" and is planning the release of a children's book in the coming months.
