PORTLAND — On April 23, the Portland Kiwanis Club recognized outstanding Key Club members in the Greater Portland Community at their spring meeting held at STRIVE. Cheverus High School senior Gradeigh Cameron of Naples was recognized for his outstanding dedication and commitment as this year’s Cheverus High School Key Club President.

Cameron was responsible for organizing, conveying information to and focusing support of members on service opportunities such as the Center for Grieving Children’s auction and Portland Ballet’s Adaptive Dance Program.

Cameron also led club members throughout a variety of community service events such as Camp Sunshine’s Pumpkin Festival, where members carved more than 500 pumpkins.

In the last week of the Cheverus High School Thanksgiving Turkey Drive, Cameron went above and beyond, standing out in the cold and rain in a turkey suit, to collect hundreds of donated turkeys and foodstuffs. He gave endless hours, collecting and counting food items, organizing and delivering boxes, and cleaning up when the day was done. The drive provided more than 750 needy families in the Portland area with supplies for a holiday dinner.

Cameron also took the imitative, along with Key Club secretary Julia Lambert, to educate the Cheverus community about the Kiwanis Club’s Eliminate Project – a project to help eliminate neonatal tetanus in third world countries. These fundraising efforts of the Cheverus Key Club provided the project with a donation which will help save the lives of many mothers and their children.

Cameron is the son of Luanne and John Cameron.