Contact: 

Elizabeth Reidenbach, Communications VP

Junior League of Lancaster

1130 Marietta Avenue

Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603

Email: communications@jllancaster.com

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Junior League of Lancaster Announces 2023 Deborah P. Altman Outstanding Youth Volunteer Award Winners

LANCASTER, PA – May 25, 2023 – The Junior League of Lancaster, PA, Inc. (JLL) is pleased to announce the two winners of this year’s 2023 Deborah P. Altman Outstanding Youth Volunteer Award: Lauren Leister, an 18-year-old graduating senior from Warwick High School and Caleb Miller, an 18-year-old graduating senior from Donegal High School. Leister and Miller each received a $1,500.00 scholarship prize, of which a $300.00 contribution to both Four Diamonds, Leister’s chosen charity, as well as the Old Line Youth Livestock Foundation, Miller’s selected philanthropy, will be donated by the JLL on their behalf.

Leister’s passionate commitment to volunteerism has been markedly illustrated throughout the duration of her high school career at Warwick High School, which includes participating in and serving as the chairperson of UNITE for Mini-THON Club, a spin-off of Penn State University’s THON fundraiser, whose purpose is to raise donations for Four Diamonds in the fight against pediatric cancer. Leister has also been an active member of the Lititz Leo Club, a branch of the Lititz Lions Club that fosters local community service learning opportunities and provides youth with valuable leadership skills. Dabbling in public affairs through consistent grassroots campaigning efforts with her affiliated political party, Leister was also appointed to the National Honor Society, where she was elected as secretary and was heavily involved in a range of fundraisers for local non-profit organizations.

Miller’s scholastic accomplishments as a Donegal High School student have included his induction into the National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, and Key Club. Translating the strong work ethic instilled within him as the son of local farmers, Miller was an instrumental community leader through his involvement with the 4-H Club, which included a project installing cattle gates at the Elizabethtown Fair. Moreover, Miller has also been a proud five-year volunteer of the Marietta Fireworks Team, which helps to organize and prepare for the town’s yearly Independence Day celebration. A member of the PA Farm Show Junior Committee, Miller was recently selected as one of 12 youths from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to assist with ensuring the success of the 2023 PA Farm Show.

This annual award is named in honor of Deborah P. Altman, a past president of the Junior League of Lancaster, whose life exemplified a commitment to volunteering, a love of children and service to the community. The purpose of the award is to recognize young people who demonstrate an exceptional interest and involvement in volunteerism as well as inspiring their peers to volunteer in their communities. Since the award was established in 1984, more than $50,600.00 has been awarded to outstanding youths in Lancaster County.

To learn more about the mission of the JLL, including its projects, awards and fundraisers, please visit www.jllancaster.org. 

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ABOUT THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF LANCASTER 

Established in 1923, the Junior League of Lancaster is an organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training. Junior League members scan the needs of our community, conduct issue-based research and identify areas where we can be most impactful in our local ecosystem. As of June 2022, our current initiatives include Nutrition Insecurity, a newly adopted Issue-Based Community Impact (IBCI) focus area, to combat the lack of access to healthy and nutrient-rich food and improve nutrition knowledge and dietary habits across all populations in Lancaster County. For nearly a century, we have identified the needs of our area and have rallied to provide meaningful and lasting improvements. Our purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. 

Please visit the League’s website at www.jllancaster.org for more information about the League’s projects, programs and fundraisers.