Voluntary service award for Terrell

Year 12 boy Terrell Okhiria has won a special award for the work he does as a volunteer in an old people’s home.

Eighteen months ago, Terrell walked into Rubens House, run by Jewish Care, offering to help out and “do something useful with my weekend”. Since then, he has given up his Saturday mornings to chat and play board games with the residents and has even brought along friends and family members to volunteer as well.

His voluntary work at Rubens House in Finchley amply fulfils the requirements of QE’s Year 12 voluntary service programme, under which all boys must complete at least 40 hours of volunteering during the academic year.

Rubens House selected Terrell as one of its three nominees for the 2014 Betty and Aubrey Lynes Volunteer Awards. The awards honour around 40 volunteers annually out of Jewish Care’s 3,000-strong volunteer workforce.

The awards were presented at a special ceremony attended by VIPs including Jewish Care’s President, Lord Levy, its Chairman, Steven Lewis, and Ninette Levy, daughter of Betty Lynes.

During the event at Jewish Care’s Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Campus in Golders Green, Lord Levy spoke of how impressed he was at Terrell’s commitment to helping the elderly, while in a letter, Rubens House Volunteer Co-ordinator Hermy Godins wished Terrell well in his studies and said: “We really are most appreciative of the time you have given Rubens House and do hope you will continue if possible.”

Head of Year 12 Liam Hargadon said: “At QE, we see our volunteering programme as an important aspect of developing young men who contribute to society. As a school, we are therefore very proud of Terrell’s achievement: to serve such a worthwhile cause with great distinction over a long period reflects very positively on his character and responsibility.”

For the Year 12 voluntary service programme, boys organise their own work and serve in locations including hospitals, schools, charity shops and care homes for the elderly or disabled.