2017 Gift Of The Heart – Delsea Regional High School

Woodbury, NJ, February 21, 2017
For Immediate Release

The law firm of Hoffman DiMuzio has allocated close to half a million dollars to its “Gift of the Heart” Community Scholarship Foundation. Forty-one graduating seniors from Gloucester and Salem County High Schools have been selected to receive a one thousand dollar scholarship for embodying the service ideals of the program. This week, the 2017 “Gift of the Heart” Hoffman DiMuzio Community Service Foundation recipients are from Delsea Regional High School: Ryan Meehan and Ashley Milstead.

Ryan Meehan

The founder of Boy Scouts of America, Lord Baden-Powell, once said “the most worthwhile thing is to try to put happiness in the lives of others.” Ryan Meehan believes community service is the most rewarding means of embodying this sentiment.

For the past ten years Ryan has been a member of Boy Scouts. He has contributed to numerous volunteer projects, including community food collections, and partaking in the Newfield Memorial Day flag ceremony. Every year Ryan’s troop visits Mary Ella Park for two weekends to improve the grounds. This involves trimming trees, general cleanup and painting various structures. Members also construct birdhouses, fences, flower beds and fish habitats.

Additionally, Ryan has volunteered in association with the National Honor Society, Edgarton Christian Academy, the New Jersey Veterans Academy and the Salvation Army. Projects have spanned from organizing and collecting household items for donation, to delivering movies and candy to veteran residents.

After his nomination by the Garden State Council, Ryan has been awarded the Union League’s Good Citizen Award. Good work Ryan!

Ashley Milstead

Large-scale change can begin at the local level. This is something Ashley Milstead has both witnessed, and sought to act upon in her own life. In one’s community, small acts of kindness go a long way. Ashley counts her volunteer experiences as moments of learning, and steps toward making the world a better place.

At Delsea High School, Ashley is involved with a number of clubs that emphasize volunteering. As a member of the National Honor Society, she regularly tutors her peers. In the Peer Transition program, Ashley acts a transition leader. Peer Transition is an organization that seeks to make the switch from middle school to high school easier for incoming ninth graders. Ashley is responsible for facilitating regular small group discussions, games and educational activities.

Ashley has contributed to the Key Club’s annual Thanksgiving dinner, and blood drive with the Red Cross. Additionally, she is a member of Delta Eta Sigma, Glamour Girls, and the Girls basketball team.

Ashley hopes to make a career out of helping others; following graduation, she will be attending college to major in nursing. In this field, she believes she has “found a perfect career that will allow me to pursue not only my passion, but also my desire to help those around me.” Good luck Ashley!

Congratulations are extended to Ryan Meehan and Ashley Milstead, as well as their proud family and friends! Their community service embodies a Gift of the Heart.

Next week’s featured recipients will be from Deptford High School.

Click here to read more about the Hoffman DiMuzio Gift Of The Heart Scholarship Foundation.

If you’d like to see the rest of the 2017 scholarship winners, click here.