Press Release
Durham man to get award from president
By Kelly Hinchcliffe
The Herald Sun, Feb 20, 2007
Reprinted from the The Herald Sun
DURHAM -- Jamie Lathan, 28, had just finished teaching a U.S. history class at the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics on Tuesday morning when he got a phone call from The White House.
He could barely contain himself as the woman on the other end of the line announced he had been chosen to receive the President's Volunteer Service Award. Not only that, President Bush will personally present the award to Lathan on Thursday at Raleigh/Durham International Airport.
"I tried to remain calm. I didn't want to scream or anything," he said Tuesday. "It's still kind of soaking in now."
Lathan has been a mentor for four years at the Youth Life Learning Center of Durham, an outreach program originally founded by King's Park International Church. The center benefits children and families living in low-income environments through after-school programs and leadership clubs.
Lathan, who mentors at-risk youth, was nominated for the award by his pastor. Since March 2002, Bush has honored more than 550 volunteers on his travels across the U.S., according to a White House news release. The president will be in the area to visit Novozymes North America Inc. in Franklinton to discuss alternative energy.
After getting the good news Tuesday morning, Lathan had a whirlwind day of media interviews and conversations with family and friends. His parents and younger brother will join him at RDU on Thursday, but only his father can accompany him through security to meet the president.
Once Bush steps off Air Force One, he will greet Lathan with a handshake and a token of appreciation, possibly a pin. When asked what he'll say to the commander in chief, Lathan said he wants the president to know there are other people also deserving of the award. For instance, his parents.
"I saw it in their lives, the way they gave back to their community," he said. "The stuff I do doesn't even compare to what they do every day."
Lathan can remember as a 5-year-old watching his father teach a grown man to read. On another occasion, he remembers being in the car with his mother when she saw an elderly couple pushing a cart full of laundry. She stopped to pick them up and take them home. His mother continued a relationship with that elderly couple until their death.
"I'm just privileged to be their son," he said.
Lathan wants to continue his parents' good deeds. Each week, he mentors at-risk youth in academics and character education. He also takes students to cultural arts performances and lectures on leadership at N.C. Central University.
In addition, he helped establish the Teen Leadership Club, an outreach program for young men from the Cornwallis community. Through TLC, Lathan mentors young men about the importance of education, leadership and decision-making skills and challenges students to take responsibility for their families and communities.
Thursday will mark Lathan's first encounter with a U.S. president. The Durham resident is an unaffiliated voter who said he wanted to remain nonpartisan in discussing the president.
"It's a tough job, and I'm praying for him," he said. "There enough people criticizing him, so I won't."
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 61 million Americans volunteered in 2006. Lathan said he is proud to be one of them.
"I'm humbled right now and full of gratitude," he said.
