Junior Risa Rogers Receives Good Deed Award for Long Island Teenagers

by Talia Herbst, SSLI '25 

Editor's Note: For today's article, Paw Print Now staff reporter Talia Herbst interviewed junior and Paw Print Now editor Risa Rogers, who was one of the recipients of the Good Deed Award for Long Island Teenagers. 

Talia Herbst [TH]: What award did you receive?

Risa Rogers [RR]: I received the Good Deed Award for Long Island Teenagers. This award is given to teenagers on Long Island who display compassion and make a positive impact on the community.

TH: How did you hear about the award?

RR: At the beginning of the school year, Mark Kowalsky and Art Mandel, our two college counselors, had sent out an email about the Good Deed Award. I decided to apply for this award because I had been volunteering at an assisted living facility for the past year.

Congratulations, Risa! (J. Rogers)

TH: How many times a week and how many hours do you spend doing community service?

RR: The amount of time I spend doing community service varies every week. I usually go to the assisted living facility, which is where I volunteer, once a week on Sunday for about an hour. There, I help the activities director with the program for the residents that is being done that day. Sometimes we bake different desserts, such as cookies or cakes, and sometimes we do arts and crafts. I also do some of my own projects at home and bring them to the residents at the assisted living facility. Both this year and last year, I baked hamantaschen and packaged Mishloach Manot, which are gifts of food and drinks, for Purim. I also baked and decorated cookies for Hanukkah. After I finished these projects, I went to the assisted living and hand-delivered the treats to the residents.

TH: What happened at the ceremony?

RR: The ceremony took place at the Chabad in Mineola. Before the ceremony began, all of the students who received the award gathered together to receive a medal. We then walked into the room where the ceremony was taking place and took our seats. The rabbi of the Chabad then made a speech and introduced all of the special guests who were in attendance at the ceremony. There were many Nassau Country dignitaries there. After the Rabbi's speech, each Good Deed Award recipient was called to the stage where one of the dignitaries spoke about the recipient and the community service that they do. Each recipient also received numerous certificates. When the ceremony concluded, everyone took pictures of the award recipients.

TH: What is your favorite part about helping the community?

RR: My favorite part about helping the community is seeing the joy on the residents’ faces when I volunteer at the assisted living facility. The residents are all elderly and unfortunately suffer from different medical conditions. Whenever I go to the facility, the residents have the opportunity to talk to me and ask me questions about my life and school. I know they appreciate my responses and that I am talking to them.

TH: How many other people got the award?

RR: There were over one thousand applicants, and out of those applicants, there were about thirty teenagers who received the Good Deed Award.

TH: Anything else you want to add?

RR: I really enjoy the volunteer work that I do. I encourage everyone to volunteer somewhere because the experience I have gained from the community service I have done has shaped my life to a great extent. There are so many different ways to help our community. The other recipients of the award have done a variety of good deeds. Some people raised money for different organizations while others collected clothes or food for people in need. I am grateful that I was recognized for the volunteer work that I do. 

Talia Herbst is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since December 2021. Talia is currently a junior at the Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: therbst25@schechterli.org.