Catholics are called to serve one another. On April 28, Xavier senior Sam Martin was presented the Daybreak Rotary Service Above Self Award. Each year, local schools are asked by the Daybreak Rotary to nominate one student who goes above and beyond in giving of themselves unselfishly to their community. Xavier Principal Mr. Tom Keating nominated Martin as Xavier’s candidate this year.

“Sam has gone above and beyond in regards to service, especially in his work with Green Square Meals and the Matthew 25 group,” Keating said.

Throughout his four years at Xavier, Martin has been involved in multiple service groups and projects, including Kids Against Hunger, National Honor Society, and the Senior Service Committee and has worked with community groups like Green Square Meals and Matthew 25. Further, Martin has been the mastermind behind multiple service events at Xavier, including Janitor’s Night Out.

Janitor’s Night Out was organized by Martin in the hopes of giving the custodial staff at Xavier a well-deserved break from their nightly duties. The idea was brought up at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, but no action had been taken to put the event into place. Martin took the initiative to hold the event on December 6 after school at Xavier. Students participating helped to perform nightly duties like cleaning the bathrooms, the cafeteria, emptying garbage and recycling bins in teachers’ classrooms, and other duties the custodial staff performs every day.

As a recipient of the Service Above Self Award, Martin was able to donate money to an organization of his choosing. He chose Matthew 25, an organization in Cedar Rapids working to revitalize the West Side of Cedar Rapids and community members there  who were affected by the 2008 and 2016 floods, to receive the donation.

“Service allows us to become better citizens by immersing us into the community, and it also allows us to develop better interpersonal relationship skills as you meet countless new people,” Martin said.

Martin looks forward to seeing what Xavier students have in store for future service events.

Sylvia Clubb

News Writer