Base teen earns two congressional medals

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LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  Alana Brunke a sophomore at North Pulaski High School, was honored with two Congressional Medals by Congressman Vic Snyder.
Alana and her parents, Niki Brunke and retired Tech. Sgt. Alan Brunke, 314th Maintenance Squadron, visited Congressman Snyder's office in Little Rock where the Congressman and his staff alike commented on how rare it was for one student to win two awards, and especially at her age.
There are six levels in the Congressional Award Program-Bronze, Silver, and Gold Certificates and Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals. Ms. Brunke won both a Bronze and a Silver Medal.
In order to qualify for the Congressional Medal, a student must set and achieve goals in four program areas: volunteer public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration activities. Throughout the process, the candidate works with an adult advisor and maintains a record book, which ultimately serves as the final application. Alana's adult advisor was Leslie Thompson, LRAFB's Teen Coordinator.
The minimum requirements for the Bronze Medal are 100 hours of Volunteer Public Service, 50 hours personal development, 50 hours physical fitness, and one overnight expedition/exploration event. The minimum requirements for the Silver Medal are 200 hours of volunteer public service, 100 hours personal development, 100 hours physical fitness, and two overnight expedition/ exploration events.
Alana was able to meet and exceed these requirements through her participation as a member of the swim team, as the president of the youth center's Keystone Club, as a member of youth center's Training Responsible Adolescents In Leadership (TRAIL) Club, the drama program at her school, and various other volunteer activities offered by the youth center.
Those who have family members who are interested in working toward a Congressional Medal can call youth center director Lee Groce or Ms. Thompson at 987-6355.
(Courtesy 314th Services Squadron)