Matthew DeWitt, a student at Temecula Valley High School, was recently awarded the Congressional Award Gold Medal.
The Congressional Award, established in 1979, was created to honor, encourage and inspire America’s youth. Over the years, the U.S. Congress has honored thousands of young Americans with the award, according to a news release.
Young people ages 13½ through 23 may earn the Congressional Award by setting and achieving goals in four program areas — voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition/exploration.
To earn the Congressional Award Gold Medal, participants must complete at least 400 hours of voluntary public service, 200 hours of personal development and 200 hours of physical fitness. They must also spend at least five days and four nights exploring a new environment or culture.
DeWitt’s community service included Scouting-related projects — his own Eagle project at Temecula Middle School, helping with other Troop 148 scouts’ Eagle projects, flag retirements, blood drives, trail cleanups and staffing Scouting programs, according to the news release.
He also volunteered at Temecula Valley High School through the school’s ASB program, spent two summers volunteering for the summer reading program at Grace Mellman Community Library in Temecula and volunteered at community events.
His personal development included earning 25 Scouting merit badges, completing multiple leadership trainings and becoming a fully initiated member of the Catholic Church.
He fulfilled the physical fitness requirement through cycling, hiking and canoeing, and he completed the expedition requirement by attending the Boy Scouts of America’s 2023 National Jamboree in West Virginia.
