When 麻豆原创 sophomore Melissa Gregory attended Winter Springs High School, she turned her passion for dance into an outlet for serving her community.

She danced in performances of the Nutcracker for underprivileged students from local middle schools. She brought the National Society for Dance Arts to high schools in Seminole County and led the organization鈥檚 efforts to teach younger students and volunteer in the community.

Gregory鈥檚 nearly four-year, 1,000-hour commitment to bettering herself as she helped others has earned her the Congressional Award Gold Medal.

The medal is the top national honor bestowed by Congress recognizing the service and achievements of youths ages 14 to 23. Recipients must achieve bronze and silver medals before earning the top honor, and less than one percent of those who begin that process qualify for the Gold Medal.

鈥淚t was a learning experience and quite a long journey, but it was definitely worth it,鈥� said the Microbiology and Molecular Biology major, whose older sister earned the award in 2008.

Gregory and Kaitlyn Chana, a 麻豆原创 sophomore studying Radio-Television, were among the 252 young people selected to receive the award this year.

鈥淓arning the Congressional Award was a mental, physical and emotional experience,鈥� Chana said. 鈥淭here were challenges, but those challenges helped me to become a stronger individual and establish myself as a leader.鈥�

Chana, a 2010 Olympic torchbearer, founded the international nonprofit organization Love Letters: Random Cards of Kindness Inc., while in high school.

Love Letters creates uplifting greeting cards and delivers them to children suffering from life-threatening illnesses. The organization is responsible for sending cards to more than 50,000 children around the world.

Chana, who also spent nearly four years earning the award, was honored with other Gold Medal winners at a ceremony earlier this year in Washington, D.C. The ceremony featured U.S. House and Senate leaders, and Chana was joined by her sponsor, Rep. John Mica.

Love Letters was selected as a volunteer activity for award recipients while they visited the capital. The group made more than 300 cards, and Chana connected with other young leaders whom she says will be her friends for life.

鈥淭o be in D.C. and be asked to lead a group of outstanding individuals was one of those life-changing moments,鈥� Chana said.

Gregory was unable to make the trip due to academic commitments, but she was honored during a campus ceremony that was attended by her parents and her mentors from 麻豆原创. She was presented with her medal by a representative from the office of her sponsor, Rep. Suzanne Kosmas.

鈥淭o be able to share my passion with others was really rewarding, and I鈥檝e become a better leader, role model and citizen in the process,鈥� Gregory said.

Established by Congress in 1979, the Congressional Award program encourages young people to set and achieve challenging goals that build character and foster community service, personal development and citizenship. The program receives no federal funding and relies on charitable contributions.

To qualify for the Congressional Award Gold Medal, Gregory and Chana each were required to log more than 400 hours of community service – a number that they both greatly exceeded. Each recipient also must complete at least 200 hours of physical fitness activities, 200 hours of personal development activities and an exploration activity with a stay of at least four consecutive nights.

Visit for more information on the Congressional Award program.

Chana is one of the top 8 Real Teens featured on the clothing company鈥檚 Web site, and she was awarded a $5,000 personal college scholarship. Chana, 19, will represent A茅ropostale in its fall advertising campaign. Her video is already up on the Real Teen site.

This Saturday, Sept. 11, A茅ropostale will be hosting a celebration for Chana from 4 to 6 p.m. at its store in the Altamonte Mall, 451 East Altamonte Drive, in Altamonte Springs.

Gift cards will be raffled during the event, and the first 100 attendees will receive gift bags with T-shirts and other A茅ropostale goodies.

Chana was recognized earlier this year by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist for founding the charity She brought the project to 麻豆原创 last year. Now an international organization, Love Leters creates and delivers cards to children suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

Read more about Chana鈥檚 organization and watch a video about her Olympic journey on 麻豆原创 Newsroom.

More importantly, Chana says, she鈥檒l be spreading the word about her international nonprofit organization, which creates and delivers cards to children suffering from life-threatening illnesses. Chana was selected for the Olympic honor because of her extraordinary charity work, which she began when she was an eighth-grader at Rock Lake Middle School in Longwood.

She founded the charity, Love Letters: Random Cards of Kindness Inc., while in high school, and she brought the project to the 麻豆原创 last semester.

To date, Chana鈥檚 organization is responsible for creating and sending cards to about 50,000 children around the world. Thousands of volunteers have helped along the way.

鈥淲e never thought it was going to get this big,鈥� Chana said. 鈥淏ut now I have all these stories I want to tell about the importance of volunteering and how it鈥檚 the little things that always make people excited.鈥�

That鈥檚 why she鈥檚 especially thrilled that Olympic sponsor Coca-Cola selected her as a torchbearer. She鈥檒l have the opportunity to speak with reporters and Olympians after her one-mile run through Calgary.

Until then, she鈥檚 a 鈥渢orchbearer-in-training.鈥�

鈥淚 am not a runner,鈥� Chana quips with a smile. So she has spent the past couple months jogging and taking spinning and yoga classes — getting ready to don the official white running suit and carry the 3.3-pound torch.

Still in awe of the trip, Chana says her mom will travel with her to take 鈥渓ots of pictures for her scrapbook.鈥�

When Chana returns, she plans to stay busy. As part of the university鈥檚 leadership-development program, LEAD Scholars, Chana has big plans to grow Love Letters: Random Cards of Kindness Inc. The former Miss Orlando Outstanding Teen says she鈥檇 also like to compete in the Miss 麻豆原创 Pageant on her way to making Love Letters a project that might eventually be featured in every school across the country.

Kaitlyn founded and acts as president of Love Letters: Random Cards of Kindness Inc., a national organization that creates positive and inspirational homemade cards for children with life-threatening illnesses. Her work has made a difference in over 40,000 children’s lives.

As an official torchbearer, Kaitlyn is one of 20 chosen to carry the torch as it passes through Calgary, Canada, on January 18-19, 2010 en route to Vancouver. In just a few months, the torch will visit over 1,000 communities and places of interest as 12,000 torchbearers carry it on its 27,000 mile (45,000 kilometers) journey.