By Sarah Hallberg
And learning that lesson at a young age may have played a major part in Victoria's recent recognition as a person who makes a difference in the lives of others.
The Rockville Centre resident was one of 10 honorees to receive a Town of Hempstead's Make a Difference Award last month.
Victoria, 17, attributes much who she is and what she knows to her brother, who is handicapped.
I think about if he wasn't in my life... Victoria said, I don't know how I'd be.
It was her love for her brother that made her want to educate others about the handicapped. He's awesome, she said.
For the past three years, Victoria has volunteered at the Town of Hempstead's Camp Anchor, a summer activities program designed for handicap citizens between the ages of 5 and 70.
Volunteering at Camp Anchor has made Victoria really appreciate all that she has. She enjoys the fun-filled days helping the campers and getting to know them.
It is not all fun and games. Victoria still remembers the first time she saw someone having a seizure. But, that didn't discourage her.
Good things always go on during the day there, she said.
Victoria also volunteers in a group home in Valley Stream, where eight mentally-challenged women live. She has dinner with them and helps them celebrate the holidays.
I love the women at the group home, Victoria said. And they appreciate when I come over.
Victoria is also an active member in girl scouts and has received both the Silver and Gold awards. She earned her Silver Award for spending 30 hours with an elderly woman. She would make her dinner, help her decorate for the holidays and just keep her company.
I became very close with her, Victoria said. It made me feel good to spend time with her and I looked forward to our visits.
Victoria earned the Girl Scout's highest honor, the Gold Award, by collecting supplies for a school in the Bronx. She also designed a program to educate these students about handicapped people.
She read a book about animals discovering how different they are from one another and compared the book to handicapped people. Each child received a bookmark with a quote from the book
