The Salvation Army of Rome named Unity Christian School junior, Hannah Payne, as its Volunteer of the Year on Tuesday.. Salvation Army captain, Douglas McClure, made the presentation during a special high school assembly.

 

Captain McClure described Payne as a stand out among candidates for the award, and stated that ultimately her service and heart for the community made her a clear choice for the honor. During his introduction, he noted that Payne had been a leader in mobilizing volunteers from her school, church and family, to serve with the Salvation Army throughout the year.

 

Payne helped to establish the 1st annual can drive for the Salvation Army at Unity Christian in 2015 collecting more than 700 cans of food for the homeless. She also encouraged members of her church youth group to get involved in the annual Run for the Homeless 5k and summer lunch program distributions during the summer.  The Payne family joined Hannah at Christmas time as Red Kettle bell ringers and to serve food to the homeless.

 

Captain McClure shared with the students, “You often think of service awards going to adults or people much older than you. That doesn’t always have to be the case. The person receiving this award today is one of you, a student just like you, and I would say that I consider her to be one of my heroes.”