By Matthew Jones
The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation is pleased to announce that Joshua N.T. Briggs, a senior at Jamestown High School in Jamestown, New York, has been selected as the winner of the 2000 Axel W. Carlson Award. The award will be presented at a ceremony at the Jamestown High School Library on Second Street, Jamestown, on Friday, May 19, 2000, at 9:00 a.m. A reception will immediately follow the ceremony.
The Axel W. Carlson Award is an acknowledgment and celebration of one person in our community with the reputation of quietly working behind the scenes to further a cause or help an organization. That person is also known for giving of their time and resources without thought of public recognition. This individual is truly an unsung hero in our community.
Joshua is being recognized for his extensive volunteer record, which is quite remarkable for a senior in high school. He has been actively involved as a volunteer with the Heritage Park Nursing Home, where he is currently employed, since the age of 13.
Joshua was also involved with Project YES in Jamestown in both the ninth and tenth grades, and has volunteered with Chautauqua County in various anti-smoking efforts.
In the past, he has served as a youth representative to the board of directors of the Chautauqua Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Council and has now been deeply involved with that organization’s Awareness Theater program for the past three years.
In recognition of Joshua’s dedication and volunteer spirit, the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation will present him with a check for $1,000. An additional check for $500 will go to the charity of his choice.
Joshua is currently enrolled in the BOCES Criminal Justice Program and is a member of the BOCES Criminal Justice Club. After graduation, he plans to attend Jamestown Community College to study Criminal Justice.
The award, currently in its fifteenth year, is named after Axel W. Carlson, a Swedish carpenter in Jamestown who was known for his quiet kindness and charity to others less fortunate than himself. His generosity led to the establishment of a fund here at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation that bears his name as well as an award to celebrate his ideals.
