Two Iowa youth honored for volunteerism

Malea Schulte, 18, of Norway - one of Iowa's top two youth volunteers for 2010 through The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards – recently met former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington, D.C.

Schulte was joined by Brandon Pettit, 11, of Prole – Iowa's other winner.

The nationwide program, now in its 15th year, honors young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. It is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

Schulte was nominated by Benton Community High School in Van Horne. A senior at Benton Community High School, Schulte painted a large mural to decorate a new baseball museum in her community, designed a logo for the museum, helped landscape the area around it, and worked on beautifying the interior. After viewing “The Final Season,” a movie about Norway's winning baseball teams, Schulte began to fully appreciate her town's rich tradition of championship baseball, and quickly signed on to assist a budding effort to build a museum.

“In Norway, Iowa, baseball is like our all-encompassing religion,” she said.

After a former bank building was donated to house the museum, Schulte began painting a 6-by-12-foot mural for the exterior, depicting a Norway baseball player jumping for a fly ball. When it was finished, Schulte worked on the landscaping around the building, helping to remove cement slabs, install a drainage system, and lay down river rock. She also helped other volunteers assemble displays and beautify the museum's interior. Framed photos of her mural will be sold in the museum gift shop to finance the purchase of baseball gloves for disadvantaged children in the area.

“I think every young person deserves this opportunity, especially children growing up in the baseball capital of Iowa,” Schulte said. “The baseball museum has changed the attitude of the entire town. It rekindled the pride that was always there, just hidden.”

As a state honoree, Schulte received $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., where she joined the top two honorees from each of the other states and the District of Columbia for several days of national recognition events.