Legislator Bridget Fleming presented Robert Stewart of Sag Harbor and rising senior at Pierson High School with a proclamation at her legislative office on July 14th 2022 in recognition of his Gold Award achievement for the 2022 Suffolk County Legislature’s Distinguished Youth Awards.
Stewart reached all of the program’s goals, completing over 200 hours of community service, 100 hours of personal development, 100 hours of physical fitness, and visiting over 15 Suffolk County Parks. Stewart became knowledgeable about many of the parks on the East End that are in the County Park’s stewardship. In doing so, he recognized and reflected on the importance of our public parks for recreation, mental health, and physical fitness.
For his Personal Development requirement, Stewart shared how he worked on enhancing his skills in speaking Spanish by practicing with his teacher and writing an entire essay in the Spanish language. Additionally, he worked on honing his artistic talents by developing a number of projects in his art class. Fulfilling the qualifications of the program are often arduous and require participants to complete a significant set of hours. However, because of his commitment and perseverance, Stewart was able to get through all of the phases of the program and was recognized by the Suffolk County Legislature with a Gold Award.
The goal of this award program is to encourage positive youth development, and to recognize young people in becoming well-rounded and more civically engaged. Leg. Fleming remarked, “Robert demonstrated such an impressive dedication to the program from the very beginning. He always spoke eloquently when reflecting on his tasks and exhibited a drive to become more civically engaged. I want to thank the Suffolk County Legislature for continuing this successful program, which positively shapes the youth of Suffolk County.”
Image (from L-R): Robert Stewart and Leg. Bridget Fleming