Students earn national awards for community service

Fox Chapel Area High School junior Victoria Pfendler and sophomore Amelia Tedesco have been honored by the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) and InnerView as part of the 2025-2026 Community Service Impact Awards. The program is open to students across the nation and connects student service to real-world outcomes, skill development and community needs. Victoria and Amelia were also recipients of the Kroger Co. Zero Hero Award which is given to students for taking action to help create communities free of hunger and waste. Victoria is an Honor Awardee, devoting 60 hours of community service during the 2025-2026 school year. This is Victoria’s second consecutive year to receive the award. Amelia is an Ambassador Awardee and devoted more than 100 hours of community service during this school year.

For her largest volunteer effort, Victoria has spent the last four years helping at the Christ the King Giving Garden. There, she is involved in a variety of tasks with regard to growing healthy fruits and vegetables that benefit local food pantries. She is also a member of the Fox Chapel Area High School Cakes for Care club, is a student ambassador for the high school and is a volunteer for Family House.

Amelia has been in charge of several volunteer efforts this school year. She conducted a food drive that benefitted the Singing Winds Food Pantry that is part of the Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center in Indiana Township. Amelia also founded and runs a nonprofit called the Tissue Issue that collects and provides hygiene products to people in underserved communities. Additionally, as part of Global Youth Service Day, she organized a group of students who put together three sharing boxes that will house free hygiene products for those in need. Amelia is also active with conservation and preserving and improving the environment and works as a volunteer for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.

“Even as the world faces tough questions about the future of international cooperation, students are supporting the Global Goals with heart, hard work, and a clear path forward,” says Farah Salim Eck, managing director of the UNA-USA. “While the challenges of our time are real, seeing young people step up reminds us that change is always possible. We are so proud to partner with InnerView to celebrate these changemakers who are proving that you don’t have to wait for the future to make the world a better, more united place.”

“This recognition reflects more than participation, it represents the time, care and commitment these students are putting into causes that matter to them,” says Kristine Sturgeon, CEO of InnerView. “It’s an honor to support and amplify their work. They’re not only creating impact today, they’re building the skills and confidence that will shape how they lead and contribute for the rest of their lives.”