2018 Gift Of The Heart – Kingsway High School

The law firm of Hoffman DiMuzio has allocated close to half a million dollars to its Gift of the Heart Community Scholarship Foundation. Forty-nine graduating seniors from Gloucester, Cumberland, 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 2018 Gift of the Heart Hoffman DiMuzio Community Service Foundation recipients are from Kingsway High School: Montgomery Hollis and Erin Steckler.

Montgomery Hollis

Throughout his high school career, Montgomery Hollis has volunteered in several different capacities. As Youth Advisory Council member for Representative Frank Lobiondo, Montgomery has monthly meetings to provide a student’s perspective on issues of community interest. He acts as one of two representatives selected from Kingsway high school. This is far from his only community role.

As South Jersey Red Cross youth board member and secretary, Montgomery helps plan community events on a monthly basis. These include fundraisers for natural disaster funds and homeless veterans and sponsorships for blood drives across the community. In his high school’s Student Office, Montgomery assists staff every day with management tasks. Beginning in 2015, he has also volunteered at the South Jersey Food Bank organizing, packing, and distributing food baskets. Previously he also served as a youth basketball coach for the New Jersey Special Olympics.

Montgomery is a three-term vice president of the Foreign Language Club, the secretary of the Astronomy Club, and a member of the National Honor Society. He also is a member of the Tennis, Basketball, and Baseball teams. Keep up the great service Montgomery!

Erin Steckler

Erin Steckler has dedicated a significant amount of time to community service. One of her most longstanding commitments is to her local Girl Scouts organization. Initially a scout herself starting in second grade, Erin now leads a Girl Scout troop for fourth grade girls.

With the troop, she has led and participated in countless roadside cleanups, as well as volunteering with the Ronald McDonald House, a charity that seeks to provide food and housing to the families of children who are hospitalized. Through Project Hope, the troop raised funds to build a health clinic in Ethiopia.

Additionally Erin has completed her Girl Scouts Silver Award, an achievement that requires committing fifty hours of service toward an issue in one’s community. For her project, Erin decided to focus on poverty, and volunteered with the Angels of God Clothing Closet in Pitman. For this non-profit, she organized and executed a food drive, and raised money by holding a bake sale. In addition to this volunteer work, Erin is a member of the National Honor Society, a member of the Tri M Society, and competes on both the Field Hockey and Lacrosse teams. Great work Erin!

Sincere congratulations are extended to Kingsway High School: Montgomery Hollis and Erin Steckler, as well as to their proud parents, family and friends! Next week, the featured Gift of the Heart recipients will be from Paulsboro 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 2018 scholarship winners, click here.