Syosset High School Senior Sydni Grossman was among 10 winners selected by Kids Helping Kids for its 2014 Kids of Distinction Community Scholarship Program, created to recognize exceptional kids in the Town of Oyster Bay.
“We have so many exceptional young people living in the Town that I’m certain it wasn’t easy selecting just a handful of recipients from the numerous applicants,” Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto said. “I thank the committee for their hard work and dedication in designating these 10 extraordinary individuals.”
The winners were selected by the Kids Helping Kids organization, which established a committee to judge a record number of applications that they received for the 10-year anniversary of the program.
“This program is very much geared towards recognizing activities done on a youngster’s own initiative,” said Kids Helping Kids Co-founder Robert Eslick. “We are recognizing kids who participate in activities for the benefit of their community of neighborhood, outside of school-related activities.”
Grossman has participated in numerous community service endeavors, going as far back as kindergarten, where she donated 12.5 inches of her hair to the Locks of Love program, where children losing hair from cancer are given wigs.
After working hard up the ladder of volunteer work, Grossman is now the co-president of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), whose main goal is to raise money through different events for the Gift of Life International, which provides surgery to children with heart defects around the world.
Two years ago, Grossman met a little girl named Shantia who was able to come to the United States and receive the heart surgery she needed thanks to the money raised by the RYLA.
Grossman has gone on to become a facilitator for the RYLA by sharing her experiences with other students in order to give students the same opportunity to grow as leaders by helping in the community as she had.
In the same way Grossman has been passionate within her community and global efforts, she has been equally passionate in her academic career at Syosset High School.
Grossman takes great pride in making sure that each and every one of her classmates enjoys being in class as much as she does.
Before the awards were bestowed to the scholarship recipients, several esteemed guest speakers gave a brief introduction of the organization, including Eslick; former Kids of Distinction scholarship recipients Michael Schumer and Dr. Reed Mauser; and special Keynote Speaker Kwasi Enin, who received national recognition for being accepted into all eight Ivy League universities.
The 2014 Kids of Distinction winners were recognized during a special ceremony at the June 17 meeting of the Oyster Bay Town Board, at which time they were presented with a commemorative plaque and a $2,000 academic scholarship check from Kids Helping Kids by Kids Way, Inc.
“There are many young individuals who have contributed to the great quality of life we enjoy here in the Town of Oyster Bay,” Venditto said. “We felt it was important to recognize our young residents who involve themselves in voluntary community, charity or civic activities on their own individual initiative. This provides a perfect opportunity for them to be recognized for their outstanding achievements. They will surely stand as role models for their peers.”
