Seven students from academies across the Atlantic Union Conference received the 2023 Caring Heart Award for Christian service. The award was established to recognize students attending Adventist academies who have “demonstrated a personal commitment to active participatory service and witnessing activities and programs.”
Xienne Burch is a senior at Bermuda Institute. Her journey of compassion began at an early age when she realized the power of lending a helping hand to those in need. She has dedicated countless hours to various charitable organizations and community initiatives. Her tireless efforts have created a lasting impact on the lives of numerous individuals and families.
Despite her many accomplishments, Xienne remains humble and committed to continuously learning and growing as a compassionate advocate. She is an inspiration to those around her, motivating others to embrace kindness and embrace the power of selfless acts. Her remarkable contributions serve as a shining example of what one person can achieve when driven by love and compassion.
Yanick Laville is a senior at Greater New York Academy (GNYA). He is actively involved in his church, community, and school. He has been a strong spiritual leader in the praise teams at church and school. During his four years at GNYA, he established a reputation as a thoughtful, spiritual, and caring young man. During his last year, he served as the Student Council president, president of the Preachers Club, and used the positions to listen to his fellow students when they had spiritual questions or simply needed an empathetic ear. Even when there are setbacks, he exemplifies a positive attitude, grit, and the ability to push forward without complaining. One of his most remarkable traits is that Yanick is not ashamed to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Samantha Hunte-Coombs is a senior at Northeastern Adventist Academy Brooklyn Campus (9-12). She leads out in worship, music, and her work environment. Samantha goes out of her way to assist others, whether it’s helping them get a job or motivating them to succeed in their academic life. She had done her best to maintain a high GPA over the course of her high school years.
Christy-Ana Chae Williams-Ruil is a senior at Northeastern Adventist Academy Boston Campus. She has 13 years of Adventist education. She participated in the Festival of Young Preachers at the invitation of Carlton Williams, then Northeastern Conference Personal Ministries Federation president. She has a love for sharing Jesus in multiple ways from creating backpacks filled with snacks to give to the homeless, helping at food pantries, and projects serving many communities across Massachusetts, to ministering through singing and preaching on several platforms around the world. As school president she continues to support and positively influence her school community. She is a youth leader in the Personal Ministries Federation and continues to devote most of her time out of school ministering to others. She enjoys preaching God’s word and does so whenever she is asked.
Sadie Danehy is a senior at Pine Tree Academy. She volunteers at her church for various events, including helping to plate food and serve people during community meal nights, helping with hospitality, serving people at the church Christmas store, and participating in clothing/food drives for those who need help.
In her expanded community, Sadie has worked for a number of years at Sky Ranch summer camp in Oklahoma and helped package at a food bank in Texas. She also assisted different stores providing food and clothing for low-income, struggling families. She also helped with an end-of-the-year clean up on Hurricane Island, off the coast of Maine, to prepare the community for winter.
Sadie is currently training and with Youth With A Mission learning how to be a youth evangelist. She will soon go to Israel for two months. While there, she will spend time in different towns, sharing Jesus with them and how much He cares for people. Part of her immediate training is going to downtown Orlando, Florida, and practicing what she has learned about evangelism.
Maya Williams is a senior at South Lancaster Academy where she has attended since preschool. Over the years, Maya learned to play several instruments—violin, harp, piano, and flute. She was a member of Rose, Thorn & Fiddle, Youth Ensemble of New England, and Il Voce.
Notably, Maya has developed into a dependable young woman with strong convictions regarding treatment of others, truth, and fairness. She has demonstrated these characteristics through care and commitment to family members and classmates, such as scoring games, meeting yearbook deadlines, serving as a robotics club mentor, and volunteering at Camp Sonrise and Vacation Bible School. Maya is active with the Honey Bee Food Bank at the Worcester church and recently led a highly successful food drive at the academy for this food pantry.
While at SLA, Maya was a member of the National Honor Society, a founding member of the Student Senate, and served as Student Association president (2021-22). Additionally, Maya was the assistant editor (2021-22), and editor (2022-23) of the yearbook when she led the yearbook team to receive the National Yearbook Program of Excellence award from Jostens (the yearbook publisher).
Abdiel Vargas-Peña is a senior at Union Springs Academy (USA). He has been a spiritual leader and example to all the students since he arrived at USA. He was voted to serve as dorm pastor of the boys’ dorm, and he leads out in worship every Wednesday night. He also assists in the dorm by helping other students and doing more than his share of cleaning to help maintain the dorm. He often picks up garbage left behind by other students and throws it out to help keep the campus looking nice. He is kind, cheerful, and uplifts those around him. He is among one of the first to volunteer whenever people need student help of any kind.
