INDEPENDENCE TWP. ‑ Recently, Kate Kehrer and Aiden Callahan, two graduates from Lake Orion High School, were announced as winners of the 2025 Wally’s Service Project scholarships.
The project itself was created to commemorate the life of Wally Niezguski and is a collaboration between Wally’s friends and family and the Clarkston Family Farm (CFF).
This year, the scholarship opportunity was available to high school juniors and seniors in seven area school districts who plan to attend college or vocational school after graduation.
Applicants were asked to design and describe a service project that benefits their entire home community, a portion of that community, or the community’s environment and student submissions are evaluated based on the project’s feasibility, originality, likely impact and presentation clarity.
Kehrer’s project, titled “Stick to Mental Health,” is a social media campaign promoting mental health awareness. She designed and distributed a sticker that can be easily attached to items like water bottles and portable computer covers.
Each sticker contains a QR code that links to Katherine’s Instagram account, where she regularly posts information about mental health resources and good mental health practices.
Kehrer also received a $500 Acorn2Oak grant from the Oakland Leadership Council last November to kickstart her project.
As a member of Lake Orion’s Youth Advisory Council, Callahan used his position to propose inviting and coordinating the participation of local charities at the next Lake Orion Summer Sizzle event. Summer Sizzle is a free, family-friendly fun event that’s been previously held at an Orion Township park on a summer evening.
Callahan noted that this year’s Summer Sizzle, which was set for June 26, will likely not occur due to insufficient volunteers and planning efforts but that he is planning to submit an action plan for his proposed project and file it with Orion Township so his idea can be adopted by the planners of the next Summer Sizzle or similar event. – M.K.
LOHS students named winners of Wally’s Service Project scholarships added by Joseph Goral on
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