Sophomore Aarush Sudamalla received the 2024 IDEA (Innovation, Dedication, Education, Admiration) Giving Back Award from the Delaware Charter Schools Network on May 9.
"Aarush exemplifies dedication to volunteerism through his involvement with the Sussex Health & Environmental Network (SHEN). Collaborating with SHEN and the Latino Initiative on Restorative Justice, Aarush empowers marginalized communities by organizing educational events and securing grants for community development," his nomination form stated.
Beyond SHEN, he founded Give with Love, supporting vulnerable families and volunteering at the Sunday Breakfast Mission by providing meals and hygiene supplies to vulnerable populations.
His nominator further explained that the community Aarush has dedicated his time to is the proposed site of an industrial-scale biogas production facility where the closest two residential areas are linguistically isolated and have little political power. As founder of The Give With Love Foundation, Aarush led a collaborative effort between Give With Love, LIRJ, and SHEN to feed and empower community members with the knowledge they were seeking about the project.
The community then filed a Title VI Civil Rights complaint against DNREC with the EPA for violating their civil rights, with notices not being in their primary languages. Since the complaint was filed, public notices in Limited English Proficiency communities have been published in Haitian Creole and Spanish, creating a long-lasting impact for all in Delaware. This effort also led to DNREC hiring Delaware's first Environmental Justice Coordinator.
Without the effort of young volunteers, especially Aarush, this would never have been possible. Aarush's commitment to service earned him the Governor's Youth Volunteer Service Award, Presidential Volunteer Service Award, and the Volunteer Excellence Award, reflecting his transformative impact. Aarush navigates diverse priorities, driven by a purpose to effect positive change. Join us in celebrating Aarush!