Every Thanksgiving and winter vacation Blake’s family travels to Florida to visit his grandparents. Because holidays are a difficult time for people who are not as fortunate as he, Blake likes to give back during that time to help the needy. 

Blake is the son of Heidi and Brian Seigel of Chesterfield. One of the organizations he volunteers with is Boca Helping Hands (BHH) in Boca Raton, Fla., a community-based organization that provides food and emergency assistance. During Blake’s visits he would hand out packages of food and household items to those in need.In addition to BHH, Blake enjoys serving holiday meals to the elderly residents at the Boca Jewish Center. 

This past school year, Blake volunteered with two local instructional sports programs because he really loves sports and enjoys working with kids that he feels he can directly help. “Blake is compassionate and empathetic,” said Blake’s mother. “He connects and bonds with people very easily and gains such a sense of accomplishment by connecting with the children.” 

The first program was TASK, Team Activities for Special Kids, located in Fenton, which provides athletic and social opportunities to kids with special needs to help build self-esteem and skills. 

Blake helped the kids play kickball, bowling and wiffle ball. “I loved playing with the kids at TASK,” said Blake. “The best part was seeing the smiles on their faces when I helped them play kickball and the other activities we did together.”

The other program was Challenger Baseball, a league for kids and adults with disabilities. He shadowed some of the children while they played baseball.

Volunteering for these organizations allowed Blake, a student at Parkway Central Middle School, to team up with physically challenged children and help teach them to play the sports he enjoys. These programs also helped Blake gain a greater appreciation for his ability to share with others the blessings he enjoys in life. He will continue to volunteer with both programs this year.