By Vivian Shipe
KNOXVILLE, TN — Anusha Anil got the memo, pulled out her notes and went to work. Anusha is a 2023 graduate of the Youth Leadership Knox County program that seeks to identify, nurture and promote future leaders. The students are juniors when they enter the nine month program in September, which gives the students opportunities to learn event planning, team building, and community service by the time they graduate in May.
The program teaches the students to respect self and others, and to give without expectations of any return or reward.
Anil, a senior at Farragut High School, finished the program in May and from June through August, she spent her summer volunteering over 100 hours helping to design the art work for a national vaccine project presented by the USAging Office on Aging and Disability thru a grant awarded to the ETHRA and ETAAAD Offices on aging and disability.
The project focus is on getting elders and those with disabilities caught up on their vaccines . Many seniors stopped getting any vaccinations during the pandemic and now are in danger of contracting many different illnesses.
Anul worked to create flyers, stickers, and other print media to be used throughout East Tennessee to educate seniors on the importance of getting caught up on their vaccines in order to stay healthy and proactive. As the number of covid and shingles cases has steadily risen over the last few weeks,the message is of great importance.
In addition to the vaccine project, the senior, a member of Mu Alpha Theta , and the Honor Society, Anusha, who wants to be a doctor, also created a flyer for the Comfort Food for the Unhoused project being co sponsored by OBC, Magnolia Ave United Methodist Church and Connect Ministries; a project expected to feed hundreds at the end of August.
Anil refused any payment for her work, seeking only to help make a difference in her community and save lives.
Anil is a fine example of a servant leader who is meeting one of the goals of YLK: to create a network of willing, knowledgeable, and committed leaders willing to step up and make a difference in their community. Anil has definitely stepped up.