An event celebrating community members who go above and beyond to serve others takes place this week.
Superstars for Kids is an event sponsored by the St. Joseph Youth Alliance which started as part of their annual meeting luncheon but has since become its own event. This year, the event will honor 11 members of the community who have been nominated by others.
St. Joseph Youth Alliance Executive Director Robin Hammond said the event is an opportunity to recognize members of the community that go above and beyond to support kids.
“Sometimes it can be because this individual does an excellent job in their work, it could also be an individual who does a lot of great things in the community as a volunteer,” Hammond said. “So it’s not just doing it all on your own time, it’s those people that really stand out and shine, they really change people’s lives, those are the kinds of things we want to honor. It really truly takes just one person to stop and pay attention and just that little bit can really impact someone’s life. Many times the individual doesn’t even have any idea the impact they’re having and this opportunity through Superstars for Kids gives us the chance to let them know how much we appreciate what they do.”
Hammond said a group of youth volunteers will also be recognized at the Thursday event. The 13 volunteers have earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award by volunteering at least 100 hours of their time within a year.
Martin T. Rucker II will be speaking at the event. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and a past NFL player.
“He’s going to share a little bit about his journey along the way and hopefully his message will resonate well with our young folks and let them know that they can dream to be anything they want to be,” Hammond said.
The Superstars for Kids event takes place on Thursday, Nov 10, at the Fulkerson Center on the campus of Missouri Western State University. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Individual ticket costs are $35 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at the Youth Alliance office and must be purchased in advance before Tuesday.