Rogers High School senior Allison Wusterbarth will be honored this Wednesday night as the United Way of Pierce County Youth Volunteer of the Year in recognition of outstanding community service.

She will be joined by nearly 500 students, representing 34 high schools throughout Pierce County, who have each earned a Varsity Letter in Community Service.

Puyallup School District students accumulated 66,771 volunteer hours — the most recorded from among the 34 public and private schools that will be represented at the May 21 United Way reception. The event will be held at the Washington State Fair Events Center in Puyallup.

Wusterbarth will receive her fourth consecutive Varsity Letter of Community Service, as well as a Willie Stewart Community Service Scholarship for excellence in volunteer work. As Youth Volunteer of the Year, she will also be guest speaker at the evening reception.

The Varsity Letter in Community Service program recognizes students in grades nine through 12 who volunteer 145 hours or more of community service between April 1 and March 31. To qualify, students must volunteer with at least one school-related project and one community-related project.   

 An active volunteer at United Way of Pierce County since her freshman year, Wusterbarth is vice president and a past president of the Puyallup Chapter of the United Way Youth Leadership Council.

She has accumulated more than 500 hours of volunteer work since ninth grade.

“Allison’s natural ability to lead shines through in many ways, whether that be through setting the agenda for meetings and creating fun ice breakers, to recruiting more Youth Council members by contacting teachers at Kalles Junior High and visiting classrooms in order to promote the program,” according to information contained in a United Way of Pierce County news release.

The release continued, “Allison is a determined and focused individual who has made helping others a top priority in her life … When she’s not volunteering her time with the Youth Leadership Council, Allison serves many weekends at the Brookdale Living Center, a home for memory loss and dementia patients, and dedicates her time to the National Honor Society and Key Club.”

Wusterbarth is also honored this year as one of the Puyallup School Districts Outstanding 65 Seniors. The Outstanding Seniors will be honored at tonight’s Puyallup School Board meeting that begins at 6 p.m. at Ballou Junior High School, 9916 136^th St. E. in Puyallup.

Photo: Rogers High Senior Allison Wusterbarth is congratulated by Superintendent Tim Yeomans on May 19 as one of Rogers High School’s 20 Outstanding Seniors. Wusterbarth will be honored May 21 as the United Way of Pierce County Youth Volunteer of the Year.