National Corvette Museum and NCM Motorsports Park Award Area Students for #DayItForward

Program recognizes students for leadership and volunteerism

T.C. Cherry Elementary Students Sabbath Hoehn and Gabbie Robles are recognized by Katie Frassinelli of the Corvette Museum and Teacher Jenny Huskey.

With 2016 being a Leap Year, Chevrolet encouraged everyone to make the most of having an extra 24 hours by fulfilling random acts of kindness for others. The National Corvette Museum, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit and the NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky participated in #DayItForward by soliciting the nominations of Warren County school children who exemplified leadership qualities and participated in volunteer work for a special Corvette experience.

“The idea was to identify and recognize kids who go above and beyond in the community,” said Katie Frassinelli, Marketing and Communications Manager with the Museum. “We thought the #DayItForward initiative was the perfect opportunity to show our appreciation to young people for their acts of kindness.”

Nominations were accepted on the NCM Motorsports Park website and six children were selected for the recognition.

The students receiving the award are: Tristan Jordan, a Kindergartner at Bristow Elementary; Peyton Harmon, a 6th grade student at Jody Richards Elementary; Sabbath Hoehn, a 5th grade student at T.C. Cherry Elementary; Gabbie Robles, a 2nd grade student at T.C. Cherry Elementary; Casey Schallert, a 6th grade student at Bowling Green Junior High; and Olivia Steelman, a 6th grade student at Plano Elementary.

Each student will receive a Corvette experience including a ride around the NCM Motorsports Park, complimentary admission for them and their immediate family to the National Corvette Museum, certificate for ice cream from the Corvette Café and a free t-shirt of their choice from the Corvette Store.

“Reading through the nominations really gave us a warm fuzzy feeling. These kids are doing some really exceptional things in their community. It makes us proud to be able to help recognize them for their efforts,” said Frassinelli.

Learn more about the NCM Motorsports Park at www.motorsportspark.org and the National Corvette Museum at www.corvettemuseum.org. Both facilities are located at I-65, exit 28 in Bowling Green, KY and are open daily.

: Casey always goes above and beyond. He has the most giving and caring heart of any 12 year old I know. He has volunteered at the Christmas store for under privileged children and was the best worker there. Always hustling around, cleaning up, helping out and finding ways to keep busy and helpful. He never has to be directed when he is volunteering, as he sees a need and fills it. He is going on a mission trip this summer and can’t wait. He is going to change the world one day! Not only is he a hard-worker and a giving child, but he is very bright. He keeps his teacher’s on their toes! It would be nice to see his loving, giving ways be rewarded.

: Olivia volunteers as a mentor for her autistic classmates and she also volunteers through the Beta Club.

: At school Tristan helps other children in class. Outside of school Tristan recycles to help keep the environment clean. He picks up trash in the neighborhood especially in any open fields for the safety of animals. Tristan also donates clothes and toys to the local Goodwill for others in need.

: This young lady reminds me daily why I chose to work with children. She comes to school each day with a goal in mind and that is to learn as much as she can. We ask a lot of our students both academically and socially and Sabbath meets that challenge as she shows exemplary behavior as an individual on a daily basis. Sabbath has learned already that no one walks alone, and we must be willing to listen to one another and to compromise not on our values, but on the small stuff, so we can accomplish our goals. Another trait I admire in Sabbath is her patience and the kindness she offers to others. She is forever offering to help her peers in a way that doesn’t make them feel less important or less able. She is full of humility and continues each day in a quiet calm manner that shows others that practicing respect and responsibility leads to more and better friendships. Sabbath is a member of our School Leadership Team, and has been a part of the many ideas and community projects this group has accomplished this school year; she was an integral part of our Veteran’s Day celebration, and our Grandparents Luncheon. Sabbath helped with our food drives at school; she collected, counted and sorted cans into a multitude of boxes for families in our community both at Thanksgiving and again at Christmas. Sabbath leads her fellow students by her actions daily; she can be counted on to listen attentively, to complete projects and to play an important role in any and all group projects. Working with this young lady has taught me a lot about truly thinking about others. When I asked our Leadership Team to think of ways we could give back to our community Sabbath gave us a truly unique idea. She asked that we create bags for students who were removed from their homes by Social Services. She suggested we include things like a change of clothes, personnel items, school and art supplies, a book and a stuffed animal. She told the team that children who lose their home are scared and have nothing of their own as often they learn they are not going home during the school day. She wanted us to give that child something that belonged just to them and not something that a stranger was providing. I have given these bags to a couple of students who unfortunately were put in this position. Hugging that stuffed animal and looking through the bag reassuring themselves that this bag was theirs was a bright spot in a scary situation. With that being said I bring to your committee, Sabbath Hoehn, a deserving young lady who leads by example. Already she has learned the importance of good character and to think of others. Sabbath Hoehn is truly an outstanding leader and “giving back” is not just something to do, but is a part of who she is.

: “Peyton is Boy Scout and here is just one example of how proud I am of him. This was written by a dear friend. I want to take just a few moments to post something positive and uplifting on Facebook. I want to recognize and say thank you to a fine young man you may not yet know much about. I am talking about Peyton Harmon, son of Chris Harmon and LaDonna Lewis Harmon. I’ve known Peyton all of his 11 years. I’ve been to birthday parties, cookouts, events, and I don’t even know what all with Peyton. In case you don’t know, my son Caden is 9 years old, has Down syndrome, and is mostly non-verbal. Since he was 7, Peyton has come to my house with his Dad every week to play tabletop roleplaying games (i.e., Dungeons & Dragons). When he arrives, Peyton politely says hello, puts down his stuff, and he goes to find Caden. He says hello to Caden, gives him a hug, and asks him how his day was. Caden cannot tell him how his day was quite like you or I could, but this has never stopped Peyton from asking. He always checks in with Caden. Today was the Cub Scout Pack 705 Pinewood Derby race. When we arrived, Peyton came over and greeted Caden and gave him a hug. The derby was mass chaos and lots going on. Peyton’s Mom was up front with his brothers, and his Dad was on the other side running the race software. In between were dozens of kids and distractions galore. Peyton dragged a chair across the room to sit next to Caden. Throughout the race, he explained to Caden who was racing and helped him cheer. When Caden was on deck, Peyton held his hand, walked with him all the way across the room, and helped him get his car. He walked with him back across the room to the staging area to put his car on the track. He walked back across the room with him to the pit to see the cars come in. He cheered with Caden as the cars zoomed in. He helped Caden get his car. He helped Caden check his car back in. He walked back across the room to the seats. This went on for each heat. Between heats, Peyton made sure Caden got to vote on coolest car and made sure he got a good look at all the options. Peyton was there to take care of everything Caden needed help doing. There were a hundred things Peyton could otherwise have done. When I was 11, I’m fairly confident I would have not been sitting with the disabled child making sure he was having a great time. You may not know Peyton Harmon, but I want you to know all these things about him. Thank you, Peyton, for being such a good friend to Caden.”

: Gabbie is an excellent role model and star leader. She consistently uses the seven habits in her daily life, both at school and at home. She works to better herself as well as her friends academics and behaviors. She is always willing to help and continually encourages others to do the same. Gabbie is a future leader and is a student I feel will be extremely successful in whatever endeavor she endures. During the fall we took our students to the nursing home to sing, distribute cards, and show compassion. Gabbie took the initiative to talk with the residents and was an excellent role model for her students. I am so proud of her!