Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/10/11
From Press Releases
Middlebury College senior defender Carolyn “Carrie” Sparkes, who volunteered for four years at Addison County’s only year-round homeless shelter, has received Vermont’s highest honor for a college student engaged in public service.
The Middlebury senior received the Madeleine M. Kunin Public Service Award from the Vermont Campus Compact (VCC). The award honors the former governor of Vermont and former U.S. ambassador to Switzerland, and is given by a consortium of Vermont colleges and universities committed to the civic purposes of higher education.
The award recognizes Sparkes for “her commitment to make connections [between] the homeless in Addison County and Middlebury College, particularly its students as she aims to break down unseen barriers between people of different backgrounds, and bring students into situations that challenge their basic assumptions of homelessness, need, and entitlement.”
The VCC also saluted the Wayne resident for her “effective community building,” her “broad range of civic leadership skills,” and for being “a statewide exemplar for deeply ingrained student civic responsibility and leadership.”
Sparkes serves at the John Graham Emergency Shelter in Vergennes and encourages other Middlebury students to volunteer there too. A member of the women’s lacrosse team, Sparkes also has been a pivotal figure in the operation of, and student involvement with, the Community at Charter House, a new temporary shelter in Middlebury.
Sparkes started in 14 of 15 games this year for Middlebury, leading the team with 15 caused turnovers while scooping 21 groundballs. Sparkes also was named to the New England Small College Athletic Conference All-Sportsmanship Team.
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