SALISBURY — The awards handed out Thursday evening represent more than 40,000 hours of community service. And the students walking across the stage in Catawba College’s Keppel Auditorium had done everything from save pennies to save lives.

“There are so many here that have given unselfishly to help others — given of themselves,” said Jerry Chandler, co-chairman of the Service Above Self Awards committee, as he opened the 2017 Serve Above Self Awards.

About 237 students from local schools were nominated for the good work they did in the 2016-17 school year. The nominees proved that a person is never too young to think of others as students in kindergarten and first grade were among those honored.

Catawba College President Brien Lewis said the awards are something that gave people “a little hope for a brighter future.”

“You young people are that bright future,” he told the nominees.

The awards, sponsored by Cheerwine, the United Way of Rowan County and Rowan Rotary, have been running for more than 20 years. While this year’s nominations fell from 2016’s 258, the volunteer hours nearly doubled — capping out at 40,512 over last year’s roughly 28,000.

“You have not dreamed too little,” Lewis said. “You are already making a difference.”

Students were nominated by teachers, family and friends. All nominees received a certificate, but the winners in each category received a medal, a Visa gift card and a check for one-half of their monetary award to be given to the school or organization that nominated them.

Awards were given to individual winners as well as group winners.

In kindergarten through fifth-grade, winners included:

• Kate Gregory, winner. A Woodleaf Elementary student, Kate collected more than 700 coats for Rowan Helping Ministries and Main Street Mission, knitted baby bonnets for Novant Health Rowan, collected pet food for Faithful Friends, and more.
• Anisten Cook, first runner-up. A North Rowan Elementary student, Anisten collected dog and cat food for Faithful Friends in lieu of receiving birthday presents. She also made care packages for cancer patients.
• Trent Smith, second runner-up. A Cleveland Elementary student, Trent visited Autumn Care nursing facility and sang Christmas carols, spoke at his church on Scout Sunday and collected bags of food for South River Food Bank.
• Overton Elementary Student Council, winner. These students helped with a Red Cross blood drive, donated more than 1,700 food items to Rowan Helping Ministries, ushered at the Norvell Theater, made cards for Meals on Wheels clients, bought toiletry items for the battered women’s shelter, held a yearlong recycling program and put in more than 1,000 hours of volunteer work during the 2016-17 school year.
• Isenberg Elementary Dream Girls, first runner-up. This group disinfected every doorknob in the school during flu season, created handmade ornaments for the ARC of Rowan’s Festival of Trees, hosted a girl’s viewing of “Hidden Figures,” prepared more than 200 food bags for Food for Thought and made body scrub for residents at the battered women’s shelter.
• Cleveland Elementary and Salisbury City Park Dream Girls, second runner-up. The girls collected more than 60 pairs of socks for the homeless, made thank-you cards for veterans at the VA hospital and for residents of the Brian Center, volunteered at the Festival of Trees and cleaned the school grounds.

Middle school winners included:

• Trevor Hunsucker, winner. The China Grove Middle student built handicap-accessible planter boxes at Magnolia Gardens nursing home. The boxes were placed in a secure area where dementia and Alzheimer’s patients could enjoy planting vegetables and flowers.
• Jarrell Imes, first runner-up. The Erwin Middle student organized a food drive called “Joyful Giving” that collected food for Granite Quarry Elementary’s backpack program. He collected more than 1,100 food items in a single day, thanks to his school.
• Bailey Linn, second runner-up. The Southeast Middle student helps out with other special-needs students in her class, making sure they have their supplies and get toclasses.
• Faith Youth Initiative, winner. This group made seasonal crafts and delivered them to the VA, did a Nativity scene for Genesis Elder Care, assisted with tutoring and meal preparation at a church, visited and read books to nursing home residents, participated in monthly prayer walks, helped with a cleanup day at a local park and made Christmas cards for the 99 residents at the N.C. Veterans Home.
• Boy Scout Troop 351, first runner-up. The Scouts helped place Christmas wreaths at the national cemetery, assisted with the Living Christmas Tree and collected more than 1,200 pounds of food during Scouting for Food.
• North Middle “Aladdin” technical crew, second runner-up. The group volunteered after school and on Saturday morning to prepare the stage set and technical aspects for their school’s production of “Aladdin.”

High school winners included:

• Elizabeth Villeneuve, winner. The South Rowan High student led a major class project while her teacher wason maternity leave. Called Service South Rowan, the group made visits to 10 or more elderly locals who needed help around their house. Elizabeth helped find clients, advertise and organize volunteers.
• Jason Matthews, second runner-up. The Graystone Day School student led volunteer efforts for his scout troop. He helped put wreaths and flags out at the national cemetery and volunteered at Faithful Friends.
• Annabel Barr, second runner-up. The Cannon School student raised more than $6,000 for books to be distributed with Rowan-Salisbury Schools’ Summer Feeding Program. She helped sort the books after purchase and volunteered to help on one of the buses and read to children.
• West Rowan High JROTC, winner. On Memorial Day, the group put out 3,000 flags at the VA cemetery. It also participated in the postal food drive, participated in Wreaths Across America, adopted a highway, parked cars for the Special Olympics, assisted at Rowan Helping Ministries on Super Bowl Sunday and more.
• North Rowan High JROTC Cavalier Battalion, first runner-up. The group worked as a color guard for several events, helped with a Red Cross blood drive, helped with freshman orientation, placed flags at the VA cemetery, and helped with a school beautification program.
• Carson High Interact Club, second runner-up. The students went to Bostian Elementary to read to students twice a month before their own school day began.

Contact reporter Rebecca Rider at 704-797-4264.