Dancing has helped Elizabeth Harley, a senior at Coral Gables High, earn more than 800 community service hours. This year, Harley is captain of the school dance team, Gablettes and Co.
“We perform at all the football games and pep rallies,” she said. “We do parades and we also compete at national and state level.”
She also is a volunteer at her church, Christ Journey, formerly known as University Baptist Church.
“Since freshman year, I’ve been teaching a kindergarten class,” Harley said. “I get to teach the Bible and hang out with them.
It is through her church volunteering that she has gone on mission trips to the Bahamas. Recently she went to Freeport for a week where the group painted some buildings, did an assembly where the volunteers sang, danced and acted.
“We ran four afternoon sports camps,” she said. “The kids came from about five different neighborhoods.” She said they had fun hanging out with the kids. What was really good is that she visited with some children she had met when she went on a mission trip a few years ago with her family.
At Gables, Harley is a member of the National Honor Society, and student council treasurer.
“I’ve been in activities but this is the first year I’ve held a board position,” she said.
Outside of school, she is in Twenty Little Working Girls, a service club.
“I’ve held a board position since I was a freshman. This year I’m president which is cool because my mom was president when she was in it 25 years ago.”
The service club has a spring fashion show that is their biggest fundraiser. Last year, they were able to donate $15,000 to charities.
“Throughout the year we do service projects,” she said. “One month we might collect tissues and hand sanitizers for one organization. Another month we collected gift cards for Touching Miami With Love.”
Her college applications will include Alabama, Baylor, Clemson, UF and FSU.
“All of the schools have very good colleges of education,” she said.
— Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
