Cadet earns award for volunteer service

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Jack Curry earned a President's Volunteer Service Award at the bronze level for his 180 hours of community service in 2024.

Curry, a cadet pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, has offered community service in a variety of ways. The effort where he has dedicated the most time is through "The Ability Experience" with his fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi. "The Ability Experience” is the fraternity's philanthropic initiative that aims "to instill a passion for lifelong service in our fraternity members while helping to empower people living with disabilities."

He and his fellow fraternity brothers have raised more than $200,000 to support people with disabilities by cycling through multiple states for the nonprofit.

Curry also enjoys his time volunteering with Best Buddies at UNG and ConnectAbility. Best Buddies seeks "to enhance the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities," and ConnectAbility is focused on "creating communities where people of all abilities are valued, included and empowered."

Each of these volunteer experiences has made a profound impact on Curry, whether it's by raising money or sitting and drawing pictures with someone.

"It makes their day so much better. A lot of times, people with disabilities don't usually have these opportunities," Curry said. "It surprises me how much I can impact someone."