Senate Resolution No. 1673

BY: Senator O'MARA

HONORING Ava Fernando upon the occasion of her
designation as recipient of the President's
Volunteer Service Silver Award by the President's
Council on Service and Civic Participation

WHEREAS, From time to time, this Legislative Body takes note of
certain extraordinary individuals it wishes to recognize for their
valued contributions to the success and progress of society and publicly
acknowledge their endeavors which have enhanced the basic humanity among
us all; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Ava Fernando
upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the President's
Volunteer Service Silver Award by the President's Council on Service and
Civic Participation; and

WHEREAS, In 2003, the President's Council on Service and Civic
Participation founded the President's Volunteer Service Award to
recognize the important role of volunteers in America's strength and
national identity; this award honors individuals whose service
positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and
inspires those around them to take action; and

WHEREAS, Over the course of the school year, a group of 39 students,
with the assistance of Mr. Lindridge, have been engaged in machining
parts for prosthetic legs with the guidance of Life Changer
Manufacturing and SKY (Skilled Knowledgeable Youth) program; SKY aims to
expose youth to STEM projects that will enhance their abilities through
challenging projects that interest them in engineering and skilled trade
jobs; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lindridge, the student's teacher, decided to become
involved with Brian Copes' program, who teaches at Chickasaw High School
in Mobile, Alabama and has been working on prosthetic leg designs for
the past 12 years with his students; Candor students developed a
mass-production model to streamline the creation of 206 ankle and knee
joints and 24 adjustable shin bones, which will ultimately help amputees
in developing countries; and

WHEREAS, With the leadership of Mr. Lindridge, students involved
with the project will interface with other students across the country
to solve manufacturing issues, work with Solidworks to solidify designs,
use Mastercam to program CNC machines and operate machine tools; also,
several of the students will be invited to join him and Brian Cope to
fly to Latin America and fit the legs to the recipients; and

WHEREAS, The success of this project was amazing, and the Technology
Department at Candor High School hopes to give students the opportunity
to support this cause and work with other schools year after year; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that those who
enhance the quality of life in their community and have shown a long and
sustained commitment to the maintenance of high standards in their

profession, certainly have earned the recognition and applause of all
the citizens of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Ava Fernando upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of
the President's Volunteer Service Silver Award by the President's
Council on Service and Civic Participation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Ava Fernando.