Valerianne Hinkley of Wilton is pictured with her Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award. Contributed

Wilton student receives Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award

WILTON — Valerianne Hinkley of Wilton has been awarded a Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award for 2020. Hinkley, a University of Maine Farmington freshman, is an active member of the Honors Program and a 2020 fall inductee of the Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity APO.

Both the Honors Program and APO have volunteering requirements. While the Honors Program waived the fall semester requirement, Hinkley still completed it as she enjoys helping others.

The award has three levels: bronze, silver and gold. All are based on hours a person volunteers and requires all volunteering to be verified by the certified organization. The volunteering must be unpaid acts of service benefitting others.

Hinkley has been volunteering since she was a little girl when her grandfather, Linwood, would take her to nursing homes to decorate. She has continued her service, helping with Relay For Life events, volunteering with the local fire department during their community events, assisting with downtown Wilton events and becoming a United Way volunteer.

The President’s Volunteer Service Award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action. As Miss New England USA Ambassador Teen 2020-2021, Hinkley is able to submit for the award each year.

Area students initiated into Phi Kappa Phi

BATON ROUGE, La. — The following area students recently were initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines:

Katie Juniper of New Gloucester, MCPHS University.

Laurianne Murphy of Lewiston, MCPHS University.

Michelle Boutin of Hartford, MCPHS University.

Nathan Faucher of Lewiston, Eastern Kentucky University.

They are among approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter.