Bryan Kluttz, of Salisbury, was among those selected to receive the “Excellence in Service Award” on the steps of Missouri’s state capitol.
On April 30, Missouri Service Day, hundreds gathered in Jefferson City, Mo., to celebrate by honoring the exemplary volunteer service of a handful of people from across the state
At the ceremony, Linda Thompson, executive director of the Missouri Community Service Commission, described Bryan and his service with the following:
“To bring your heart into your service can be a truly rewarding yet precarious act. AmeriCorps Member Bryan Kluttz knows this all too well. As a literacy tutor, in an unaccredited school district fraught with academic lows and poverty, where overburdened teachers struggle for resources and the time to give individual attention to the neediest of children, Bryan extends his heart to the young learners he serves in the 2nd and 3rd grades.
“He beams like a proud parent when a student develops the ability to distinguish long vowels from short, or can call out a letter of the alphabet that was once a mystery. When results are slow to appear, or success seems to be defined solely by an assessment number on a page, you can see Bryan take on the pain and disappointment of his students.
“While many people would allow that to be a destructive force, these minor milestones serve as motivation for Bryan to persevere. And it multiplies. His driven demeanor serves as encouragement to his students that everything will work out in due time.
“Consistency, nurturance, dedication are terms that do not even begin to describe Bryan’s allegiance to his “kids.” His passion and drive make true the statement that if you put a little love in your heart, it will indeed make the world a better place.”
Just as the Peace Corps is Americans in service to the world, AmeriCorps is Americans in service to each other.
For more information about AmeriCorps St. Louis, log on to www.americorps-stl.org or call 314-772-9002.