Staff Writer

Feb. 19, 2001 10 PM

One Charles Henderson High School freshman wants to give back something to his community.

Shawn Maldon has approached the American Red Cross about starting a Youth Advisory Team.

The team will include five students from each of the area high schools, who will be trained volunteers.

In the event of a disaster and shelters have to be opened, the teens will do more than hand out coffee. And, in the meantime, they will also be at work trying to make things better for everyone in Pike County.

Maldon said the teenagers will learn about disaster preparedness and present skits to area elementary school students.

They will also teach first aid and serve as hospital volunteers, Maldon said.

After being trained on different topics, the Youth Advisory Team will create dramatic and visual art projects to teach others about health and safety, leadership development, water safety and much more, Maldon said.

"We’ll do all sorts of things," he said, adding the Youth Advisory Team is a way for young people to get involved in the community.

Jane Thrash, the new community development specialist for the local American Red Cross office, is excited about Maldon’s plans and the idea of getting young people involved in community projects.

"They’ve never had anything like that here," Thrash said of creating a Youth Advisory Team in Pike County.

Thrash said it was more than irony when Maldon called and told her he wanted to volunteer.

He had recently attended a 4-H meeting where the idea of teen advisory teams was discussed and she had been to a Red Cross meeting where the same topic came up in discussion.

After talking, Maldon went right to work.

Thrash said she was pleased to see Maldon jumped into the job and even spent part of Monday ­ his day off from school ­ working in the Red Cross office.

Anyone interested can talk with his or her school principal or contact Maldon at 670-0544.