Congratulations to these three finalists in the Youth Volunteer Award category of the 38th Annual Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Awards! Join us May 9 to see which finalist is chosen as the recipient, and will receive $1,000 to donate to the charity of their choice!
Layla Wilhelmi
Metro Nashville Animal Care and Control (MACC)
Layla Wilhelmi has established herself as an integral member of the Metro Nashville Animal Care and Control (MACC) volunteer team, reaching the “black belt” level volunteer status with more than 100 hours spent at the shelter. She is often seen throughout the weekend walking dogs, spending time with cats, and helping train new volunteers. Layla has brought on more than 10 of her peers to volunteer with the organization, and has been crucial in scheduling times for them to train, assisted in leading their training, and mentored them while they are at MACC.
“[Layla] has instilled the desire to help animals and the greater community to many of her peers and brought in a younger age group of volunteers to the shelter that will continue to help MACC and animals wherever they land!” — Chris Radek, Layla’s nominator
Rincon Jagarlamudi
Hip Hop Public Health (HHPH)
Over the past three years, Rincon Jagarlamudi has demonstrated his unwavering dedication to improving health literacy in Nashville neighborhoods through Hip Hop Public Health (HHPH), which creates research-based educational resources by harnessing the power of music and culture to improve health in underserved communities. Since initially connecting with the program, Rincon has brought the full suite of HHPH programs to Nashville at Vanderbilt University, establishing HHPH’s flagship college student ambassador program, which will serve as a model for the program’s future expansion. His efforts have cultivated a dedicated team of 20 student ambassadors from Vanderbilt University, who help bring HHPH lessons to more than 500 students in the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools system.
“This story underscores Rincon’s understanding of the profound influence social factors have on health equity. Despite being at an early stage of his career, Rincon has taken part in a breadth of public health work, directly benefiting hundreds of youths in the Nashville area.” — Lindsey Harr, Rincon’s nominator
Sadie Begtrup
Nashville Tree Foundation
Sadie Begtrup has dedicated her life to giving back to her community, volunteering with five different organizations while balancing her life as a high school senior. She molds her passions into ways to volunteer. Her love of nature has transformed into volunteering for the Nashville Tree Foundation (NTF) for more than 13 years, where she became the youngest Green Shirt volunteer and has personally planted and helped distribute more than 600 trees. In addition to her years of work with NTF, she also volunteers with Room in the Inn, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, the Frist Art Museum, and Sherith Israel Orthodox Synagogue. She has helped transport 250 homeless men and women to shelters, assisted with 12 Shakespeare performances, completed 25 hours of manned art engagement, and can routinely be seen greeting, directing, and engaging the community in religious education and exposure.
“Sadie builds her life around tradition and consistency. She was raised by her community, and she believes in maintaining and growing it for others. This is a child who has already formed a legacy of community enrichment and engagement, but still has her entire adult life ahead to do even more.” — Armin Begtrup, Sadie’s nominator
The Youth Volunteer Award recognizes individuals who contributed significant volunteer time, energy, and/or resources in 2023 to help the community. Volunteers or groups ages 5-20 are eligible. To see all our finalists, visit handsonnashville.wordpress.com.
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