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Milford honors student leaders at 38th annual Mayor’s Youth Award ceremony
Summary
Milford’s mayor and local education and youth officials recognized students and youth groups for leadership and service at the 38th annual Mayor’s Youth Award ceremony; winners included Hayden Randis (elementary), Jack Eisenhandler (middle school) and Joey Kaminsky (high school).
Milford’s mayor and city youth officials presented the 38th annual Mayor’s Youth Awards, recognizing students and youth groups for community service, leadership and volunteerism.
Deepa Joseph, director of health and human services, opened the ceremony and framed the evening as ‘‘recognizing compassion, leadership, service, and the positive impact that youth make every day in Milford.’’ Dr. Anna Kataya, superintendent of Milford Public Schools, led the Pledge of Allegiance before Mayor Richard M. Smith delivered remarks praising the nominees as ‘‘the things that matter’’ and saying the honorees ‘‘restore that hope’’ amid a fractious public climate.
Mayor Smith presented the elementary individual award to third grader Hayden Randis, noting she had asked for donations to local shelters instead of gifts and had ‘‘raised over $1,000 in supplies’’ for Milford Animal Hospital and local rescues. The mayor said the child’s efforts had inspired others to give.
Deepa Joseph presented the middle school award to Jack Eisenhandler, whose nomination described leadership in advisory lessons, the Be Kind Club and involvement with the Milford Prevention Council. Jack’s nomination emphasized his work creating and leading classroom lessons and spreading kindness throughout his school.
Dr. Kataya introduced Joey Kaminsky as the high school winner, noting Kaminsky had logged more than 1,000 hours of community service, volunteered at Silver Lake Camp and Retreat Center, helped found the Start With Hello and Say Something initiatives tied to Sandy Hook Promise, and participated in multiple honor societies and extracurricular programs.
The group award went to the Roaring Snack Shack, a student-run snack program that collects orders, manages inventory and uses proceeds for local food drives and charitable donations, including Thanksgiving food donations and toy drives at the holidays.
Organizers thanked five judges and several partner organizations, including Milford Public Schools, Milford Police Department and the Milford Health Department, and invited families and attendees to remain after the ceremony for photos and congratulations.
The ceremony emphasized youth service and leadership as a source of civic renewal; no formal city actions or votes occurred during the event.
