Congratulations to Shawn Martinez, Founder of AVUS Connect sponsored by United HomeCare! United Way Miami honored Shawn at their Annual Board Meeting and Volunteer Awards luncheon on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, at Jungle Island with the Outstanding Youth Award for his volunteerism and leadership in the Miami community.
Miami, Florida, June 22, 2022 —
The United Way Miami (UW) honored Shawn Martinez, Founder of United HomeCare® (UHC) AVUS Connect, with the Outstanding Youth Award for his volunteerism and leadership in the Miami community during its Annual Meeting and Volunteer Awards Ceremony on June 21, 2022. The Award was bestowed upon Shawn in recognition of his leadership, commitment of time, talent, and character through services and volunteerism giving unselfishly for the betterment of the community. Shawn is a rising senior student/athlete at Belen Preparatory School who has dedicated himself to helping older adults and to his most fulfilling activity, AVUS Connect (AVUS), an intergenerational volunteer platform addressing isolation and loneliness in older adults, and inspiring other youth to help our elders and let them not be forgotten.
Shawn founded AVUS which means “grandfather” in Latin as a call to action to address isolation through a Senior Reassurance Program where he secured a corporate sponsorship with the not-for-profit, United HomeCare. As the founder, Shawn was tasked to create the AVUS Connect, an Intergenerational Senior Assurance Program, for volunteer recruitment, enrollment, and activity management growing the program beyond the hallways of Belen Jesuit with the addition of the program in other area school like Doral Academy, Columbus, Lourdes Academy, and American Heritage.
Shawn is a Fellow of the United Way Youth Institute (2021-22- Cohort #6) and was chosen as a Bank of America Student Leader representing South Florida as a paid Summer Intern at the YMCA in Allapattah. He is a student member of Florida Council on Aging, Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honor Society), Science National Honor Society, National Hispanic Recognition Program, Key Club, and athletic member of The Miami White Caps. Shawn is an avid reader and author of “The Raven and the Earth”, part of an anthological series titled “Ode to Pachamama” (“Mother Earth” Peruvian Inca- Quechua).
“I am honored with this recognition and award. It was possible because of people who believed in me and through the Intergenerational Program at United HomeCare. Together, we can make this community stronger and resilient while honoring our elders who have sacrificed so much to make our lives better. For this reason, we have a moral debt and obligation to ensure they age with grace and dignity.” said Shawn Martinez.
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