LEXINGTON, Ohio – Volunteers seldom do their work for recognition, but one Lexington student’s volunteer work is being both recognized and rewarded by a nationwide scholarship program.
Melina Shultz, an 11-year-old student going into seventh grade at Lexington Junior High, was recently named a local winner of the Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program, a program recognizing the benefits and outcomes of students’ volunteer services. She was awarded a $50 Kohl’s gift card for her win.
Melina was nominated for the award by her mother, Melanie Shultz, who just happened to hear about the program during a visit to Kohl’s in Ontario.
“I saw it was all about volunteering and I know how much she does to help out, so I entered her,” said Shultz. “I didn’t even tell her I was entering her.”
Shultz highlighted her daughter’s work in helping to solve Richland County’s feral cat problem. Last fall, Melina and her friends coined the acronym “MICE” – Making Invisible Cats Exist – and set out to help cats that haven’t yet found a permanent home. The family cat Silly Lily even started out as a stray.
“I recruited some of my friends, and we made homemade toys and treats for the cats and we go to the shelter and give it to them,” said Melina. “We also made a public service announcement explaining the importance of not abusing cats and getting your cats spayed and neutered.”
Shultz explained a group of five to six of Melina’s friends would meet each Friday after school for two hours to create homemade toys like string and feather wands, pipe cleaner glitter balls and cozy cat beds, and homemade treats like tuna surprise, cheesy crackers and liver meatballs.
The girls would then deliver their items to STOP Cat Shelter or the office of Attorney Anne Wendling, both places that take in countless numbers of stray and feral cats to work on finding their forever home.
Advocating for stray cats isn’t the only volunteer work Melina has participated in over the years.
She plays Bingo with senior citizens through her church’s youth group, held a bake sale that raised $270 for the victims of tornadoes in Oklahoma, and helped pull weeds and landscape at Eastern Elementary where she served as student council president. Melina even organized “popcorn Fridays” to raise money for school equipment, receiving popcorn donations from Cinemark Theater in Ontario thanks to her negotiations.
“I’ve always loved to volunteer, even through small stuff,” said Melina. “I just like the feeling of helping people. I always thought when I get older I wanted to have my own group with my friends and we’d do some more serious volunteering.”
Melina has forged ahead with her volunteer work despite some criticism from her peers. Shultz said Melina has been teased at school about her volunteer efforts.
“She doesn’t let them stop her, the kids who haven’t been real supportive,” said Shultz. “But overall she’s had a lot of support.”
“The first thing I thought of when I got the letter from Kohl’s was about some of the kids who are rude and mean at my school, and all the things they say to me,” said Melina. “And I thought, ‘yes!’”
Shultz said she has been very proud of Melina for taking a stand; she said she has just been “along for the ride” as she supports Melina’s ideas and volunteer efforts.
“In the world we live in there are so many times you hear about people complaining about different things they’re not happy with, but nobody is willing to take a stand and try to make a change,” said Shultz. “But even at a young age, even though she’s just a kid, she’s been willing to go out and make a difference in her own way.”
A lover of history and science, Melina said she wants to be either a chemist or an astronomer when she grows up – or possibly a cardiac surgeon or a neurosurgeon. But one thing she knows for sure is she wants to continue volunteering in whatever way she can.
“Not all volunteering is going out and doing something super big, it can be something small; one time I just made a small paper balloon and put a nice message in it and let it go,” she said. “I always recommend having a plan.”
“I just like the feeling of helping people. I always thought when I get older I wanted to have my own group with my friends and we’d do some more serious volunteering,” Melina said.
