CONWAY — Margaret Farrell didn’t know what to think when a college counselor handed her an envelope last month.
But she couldn’t have been happier after she opened it.
The senior at Pope Francis Preparatory School in Springfield learned she had been selected as the winner of the President’s Volunteer Service Award for exemplary volunteer service to her community. The award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country, was granted by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Farrell, who goes by Maggie, was nominated for national honors this fall.
“I was extremely happy. I was so proud. I was really surprised,” the lifelong Conway resident said this week. “I know I do a lot, but it felt really good to be honored for it.”
Farrell, 17, explained she is an assistant teacher at her church, Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Easthampton, where she helps teach an 11th-grade class of students preparing for Confirmation, one of the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. Her volunteer service includes six years as a general helper at the Festival of the Hills in Conway, developing and organizing school-wide fundraising to benefit Conway residents affected by the February 2017 tornado and working as an assistant at the Berkshire Hills Music Academy’s Summer Camp, where she supported special needs participants.
“Across the United States, young volunteers are doing remarkable things to contribute to the well-being of the people and communities around them,” Prudential CEO Charles Lowrey said in a statement. “Prudential is honored to celebrate the contributions of these students, and we hope their stories inspire others to volunteer, too.”
Farrell is also president of her school’s Special Olympics Club, which builds relationships with Special Olympics athletes and supports them during local competitions. She has been affiliated with the club for four years and has served as its president for the past two.
“It’s literally the love of my life,” she said. “I love it so much.”
Farrell plans to attend Springfield Technical Community College for two years to get certified in occupational therapy and then enroll in Westfield State University to eventually earn a master’s degree. She graduated from Conway Grammar School (in sixth grade) in 2010 and attended Frontier Regional School for seventh and eighth grade.
Pope Francis Preparatory School is a four-year, co-educational college preparatory school.
“We are incredibly proud of Maggie’s accomplishment in and outside of the classroom,” Dr. Paul Harrington, head of school for Pope Francis Preparatory School, said in a statement. “She exemplifies what it means to be part of the Pope Francis Prep learning community as we seek to encourage students to put their Catholic Christian faith into action and be spiritually transformed through service to the poor, needy, and their own communities. This award certainly acknowledges what we are privileged to see in Maggie each day.”
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.