8th grader Brayden Antoniak is this year’s winner of the DeKalb West School Junior Beta service award. He earned the most service hours of any club member with 127.25 from the summer of 2017 to May 5, 2018. Members need only a minimum of three service hours each semester to remain in good standing with the club, and five hours a semester helps qualify students to attend the state convention and spring field trip.

“I want to help around the community and make a difference in my life and everybody else’s life around me,” Antoniak said. It makes me feel better about myself, not that I’m trying to be cocky.

Last summer Brayden helped out on a mission trip to South DaKota. During the year, he has read to students in Mrs. Susan West’s first grade room, participated in church leaf-raking day for the elderly, and church camp at Salem Baptist Church.

His proud parents, 6th grade teacher Jessica Antoniak and Sean Antoniak, have helped instill a strong sense of citizenship in their son.

“We have just tried to teach him to appreciate what he has and understand that there are many less fortunate,” his parents tell Bulldog Tracks. “He knows that it is very important to give to others and the community. We want him to see that there are always opportunities, be they large or small, to help or serve others.

Antoniak is a quiet leader. His actions say more than the words coming from his mouth, earning him the respect of peers and teachers alike.

“Brayden Antoniak is an EXCELLENT student–best of the best,” says 8th grade teacher Karen France. “He works hard each and every day. It is a pleasure having him in class. Brayden is definitely a team player. He works with anyone he is grouped with. He leads by example and is respectful to those around him.”

“His diligence and dedication are evident in his academics,” his parents said. “When a challenge arises, his unwavering persistence sees him through until the resolution. He enjoys sharing knowledge and information with others. He is very kind hearted and tries to see the best in everyone and everything.”

Alexandria Senior Center Director, Sandy Brown, has announced the receipt of funding for DeKalb County residents through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP).

Program funds are used to provide food, in the form of served meals or groceries, lodging in a mass shelter or hotel, one month’s rent or mortgage payment, and/or one month’s utility bill.

The original authorizing legislation, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77), signed into law on July 24, 1987, specifies “sensitivity to the transition from temporary shelter to permanent homes and attention to the specialized needs of homeless individuals with mental and physical disabilities and illness and to facilitate access for homeless individuals to other sources of services and benefits.”

Also in accordance with the legislation, the EFSP National Board encourages Local Boards, the decision-making local bodies, to place special emphasis on identification of, and assistance to, the elderly, families with children, Native Americans and Veterans.

For more information, or to apply for assistance, call the Alexandria Senior Center Director, Sandy Brown, at 615-529-2928. If you know of someone who might benefit from this program, please call! Referrals are always welcome.