The Junior League of Albuquerque (JLA) is proud to announce that Patricia (Patti) Devereaux from Dennis Chavez Elementary School has been selected as the winner of the 2017 JLA Community Star Award.

The Junior League of Albuquerque’s Community Star Award celebrates the power of volunteers making improvements in their community. Whatever work our winners do, they all challenge the unmet needs of our community through volunteer action in the same spirit as the members of the Junior League.

After reading all the nomination forms, the JLA was moved by how Patti sponsors K-Kids, a service club for elementary age students. The club was started in 2011 with Patti as the faculty sponsor and is sponsored by Kiwanis Club.  Patti teaches her students to lead meetings, plan and execute service and fundraising projects, practice servant leadership, as well as teaching the value of caring inclusiveness and character building.

The work Patti does dovetails with the work of the JLA. These students, under her guidance, are developing their potential and learning how to improve their community through their collective action. She is creating future leaders and providing them with opportunities to develop self-esteem, leadership skills, and respect for others.

Past projects that K-Kids has participated in include: raising money for the Salvation Army, conducting a clothing drive for Locker 505, toy drive for PB&J, collecting pop tops for Ronald McDonald House, assisting with meals at Joy Junction, and helping to sort donations at Roadrunner Food Bank. As you can see, Patti and her students help our community in invaluable ways as they develop their skills. This is why Patti Devereaux is the winner of the 2017 Junior League of Albuquerque Community Star Award.