03/31/2006

PLEASANTON — Volunteering and working for the good of others has helped 16-year-old Kevin Ripp, too.

Ripp of Pleasanton, the 2006 Freedom Award winner in the Youths Who Care category, said he has sharpened his communication skills.

“At first I was pretty shy, but now I say what I think needs to be done,” said Ripp, who has been on the Buffalo County Youth Advisory Board since he was about 13. Ripp still is one of the younger members of the Buffalo County Youth Advisory Board, but he is among those who have been involved the longest.

Ripp’s guidance counselor at Pleasanton High School, where he is a sophomore, said he has seen Ripp grow into his role as a leader over the years.

“Kevin has developed strong communication skills, recruiting students and community members to volunteer for projects,” said Bob Bednar, one of three people who nominated Ripp for the Freedom Award.

Ripp said he enjoys being on the advisory board.

“It’s a good opportunity to reach out to youth on alcohol and tobacco,” he said.

Ripp, the son of Don and Janece Ripp, represented Buffalo County youth in Washington, D.C., in November when the county received the Best 100 Communities for Youth Award.

Ripp said the trip was not only fun but also was informative. Many of the community winners made presentations about how they had tackled tough issues facing youths, although Ripp said much of it didn’t apply to Buffalo County because it tended to be big-city issues.

“It felt pretty good coming out of it because we didn’t have those problems,” he said.

Ripp said there has been a concentration in Buffalo County on the younger people when it comes to drugs and alcohol. That concentration includes a mentoring program at Pleasanton High School.

“It’s hard to stop the problem with teens now,” he said. “So we are starting on the younger kids to get them off on the right foot and stay off drugs and alcohol.”

Ripp is also involved in student council, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Future Business Leaders of America, speech and drama teams. He also likes to play basketball and baseball, but an injury kept him from playing this year.

Lately, his favorite project is the renovation of the Pleasanton depot.

The Pleasanton FBLA, of which Ripp is a member, decided to take on the former depot once members heard it was going to be demolished if something didn’t happen.

Ripp and others wrote grant applications to the Nebraska Department of Roads, and Ripp said he has been updating the village board on the project.

Bednar said Ripp was instrumental in the grant process to bring in $170,000 for the project, and presentations Ripp made to local organizations helped raise an additional $5,000 in donations.

Other projects Ripp has lead including obtaining a grant to begin a recycling center in Pleasanton, developing a volunteer community library located at the bank and with the FBLA, organized an Easter egg hunt, a local business appreciation breakfast and welcome baskets for new community members, according to Bednar’s nomination letter.

The Kearney Jubilee Center’s Steve Glover, in his nomination letter, said Ripp works as well with adults as he does with other teens.

“Kevin has developed skills in working with youth as well as adults,” Glover said. “Kevin shows great leadership skills and good commitment in helping the youth of Buffalo County.”

Ripp said he was surprised when he learned that he had been selected for the award and wanted to thank those who nominated him as well as people such as Corliss Dixon, the FBLA sponsor in Pleasanton, and Denise Zweiner, director of Buffalo County Community Partners, who have given him the opportunity to volunteer.

“Kevin has applied the leadership skills he gained from many experiences to making his community a better place for young people,” said Beth Baxter, another person who nominated Ripp for the award.

After high school, Ripp would like to major in pre-medicine at an in-state college and eventually come back to a community such as Buffalo County to be a doctor or surgeon.

“I want to stay in Nebraska,” he said. “Small town life has given me a lot of opportunity to become what I have.”

e-mail to:
amy.schweitzer@kearneyhub.com