CELEBRATION OF GIVING: Reed shows teens good while giving to others

By: 
Lee Pulaski
City Editor

(Editor’s Note: The Shawano Area Community Foundation, in conjunction with NEW Media, has staged a Celebration of Giving Volunteer of the Year promotion for more than 10 years. Each year, select area volunteers are presented $1,000 cash grants for their efforts to improve the quality of life in the Wolf River Region. The awards, sponsored by area businesses, are then reinvested into area nonprofit organizations at the direction of the award winners. This is the fourth in a series profiling outstanding volunteers in the community.)

Brandon Reed has a lot more on his plate than the average high school student.

The Shawano Community High School senior, when he’s not working on building community in the school as a member of the student council, is a mentor for the Goody Triathlon, helps with holiday food drives and reads to younger children during the holidays and other times of the year.

It’s because of all that selflessness and caring that Reed is this year’s recipient of the Youth Volunteer Award from the Shawano Area Community Foundation’s Celebration of Giving. The award is sponsored by the Shawano Optimists and Shawano Rotary. The $1,000 gift they gave Reed will go toward Lakeland Industries, which works with individuals with developmental disabilities.

One specific way Reed has given back to the Shawano School District includes spearheading an effort to read “The Polar Express” to elementary students as part of celebrating Christmas, according to Sienna Eimmerman, one of three people who nominated Reed for the SACF award.

“He even dressed the part to spread joy to students,” Eimmerman wrote. “Since the positive interaction the high school students had with the young students, Brandon has signed up to participate in Junior Achievement, which takes high school students into elementary classrooms to teach various lessons. He has also worked with National Honor Society to try and find ways to work with the elementary schools in various ways, including reading during the month of March.”

“The Polar Express” event had long been a tradition at SCHS, but it was Reed’s idea — at the suggestion of his mother — to take it to the elementary schools in Shawano and bring the story to life for younger children.

“One of my friends and me thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if we dressed up as characters from the movie?’” Reed said. “It brought a lot of fun to school and a lot of fun to Christmastime. We were able to not only read but bring cookies and hot chocolate over. We also went to Sacred Heart, as well as the middle school, and that was awesome.”

The Goody Triathlon, which just celebrated another successful year in Pulaski, also takes up much of Reed’s time as he mentors one of the athletes, according to Erin Cornelius, another nominator.

“Brandon is an exceptional individual that has been participating in the Goody Triathlon mentorship program for five years,” Cornelius wrote. “Brandon enjoys creating friendships with students with exceptional needs. He has built a strong bond with one individual. He takes interest in the student and completes activities and conversations that engage that student.”

Reed noted that there was one year, 2020, where he worked with the student but did not get to do the triathlon because it, like all other activities, were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is one of those people who helps out anyone, regardless of who they are.

“I’ve always had classmates that have been participants,” Reed said. “Once I learned there’d be an opportunity to help out, I jumped on it right away.”

Being athletic was a benefit for Reed, as he’s been on the track, basketball, football and soccer teams. He said a triathlon was not a big deal for him.

Elizabeth Alexander emphasized in her nomination letter how much Reed has worked to bring people together at SCHS, and that it won’t be easy finding someone to fill the void.

“Brandon has strengthened the culture and community at SCHS both in and out of school,” Alexander wrote. “He has a natural drive to organize and create events to not only financially enrich the community but to develop and strengthen school culture. Brandon truly cares about finding ways to share his talents and serve others. This service will be greatly missed after he graduates, but the work he has done will continue to strengthen our school and community for years to come.”

Reed noted that, in general, high school students get a bad reputation from the community because some do not make the best decisions during that time of their lives. He feels that showing that some teens can do good in the community and give back helps to dismiss the “menace to society” moniker they get collectively.

As one of several examples, he mentioned the food drives that the National Honor Society has held to benefit Shawano Area Matthew 25. “We’ve made meals for them,” Reed said. “We’ve delivered cards to the nursing homes, and last year we were able to plant some trees.”