When he was younger, Kevin Raher said he wanted to be a professional baseball player.

Kevin, 14, a freshman at Downers Grove South High School, is now gunning for the classroom, not the ball field.

“I love helping others, and teaching would be something I would really enjoy,” he said.

Last month, Kevin was recognized for his work with helping others in the community when he was awarded the 2009 Village of Woodridge Outstanding Youth Citizen of the Year Award as part of the village’s annual awards program.

And helping people is one of the priorities in his life, whether it be volunteering at his church or local food pantry.

“I had heard that the Woodridge food pantry last winter was low on donations, so I organized a donation drive to help them out, passing out flyers and stuff,” he said. “Within two weeks, I had so much food, we had to give some of it to the church as well.”

For Kevin, a typical school day does not end at 3:30 p.m. Not only does he play baseball, but this fall, he volunteered to be an assistant athletic trainer at Downers South, helping out with the sports teams and coaches after school. It keeps him at school till almost 7:30 p.m. each night.

“I love sports, and I had asked when I started at South if I could help out as a way to get involved in the school,” he said. “I have been doing it for about three weeks now, and it has been an awesome experience.”

Notable
Raher was presented with the Outstanding Youth Citizen of the Year award by the village of Woodridge on Oct. 1 as part of the village’s annual awards presentation. The award recognizes individuals under the age of 21 for outstanding community service.
& quotable
“To tell you the truth, I was thrilled and surprised to win the award,” Raher said. “I was also grateful that my hard work paid off.”
Philosophy
n “My father always told me the sports analogy ‘always give 110 percent at whatever you do.”
n “Always put others before yourself. You come last.”

Favorites
BOOKS “Daniel’s Story,” by Carol Matas
TV SHOWS “NCIS” and “The Office”
FOOD Steak
INTERESTS Sports and volunteering at his church and in the community