ROXANA/WOOD RIVER - The Riverbend East Rotary Club recently recognized the October Service Above Self award winners from East Alton-Wood River High School-Bailey Schallenberg-Decker and Ben Gehrs.
Bailey Schallenberg-Decker
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Bailey is a Senior at Roxana whose footprint spans athletics, academics, civic leadership, and fine arts. A dedicated athlete in Cross Country and Track & Field, Bailey also serves in the National Honor Society, Student Council, Tri-M Music Honor Society, Student Ambassadors, Thespian Troupe, and the Marching and Concert Bands.
To Bailey, "Service Above Self" means intentionally giving your time and energy to strengthen the community, placing the well-being of others above your own convenience.
A hallmark of Bailey's volunteer work is her active role on the Riverbend Growth Association Young Adults Committee, where she collaborates with student leaders across the region to support local nonprofits. Through this and her independent efforts, she has volunteered with organizations like the Community Hope Center, Riverbend Family Ministries, and the Salvation Army. She has even lent her musical talents to the pit orchestra for productions of Shrek and Big Fish.
Among her many projects, one experience stands out as a clear reflection of her heart: organizing and running a bingo night for residents at the Beverly Farms Foundation. For Bailey, it wasn't just about managing an activity-it was about creating moments of real connection and joy, seeing firsthand how a shared evening could brighten someone's entire day and have a lasting impact on how you see the world. Her advice to fellow students speaks directly to the perseverance service requires: "Even if it can be time-consuming and sometimes difficult, it is so worth it to see how you can help other people and affect their lives."
Ben Gehrs
Ben is a Senior at Roxana High School whose high school involvement list reads like a master directory of student organizations offered at RHS. From Track & Field, Trap Shooting, and Marching Band to Science Olympiad, Scholastic Bowl,World Quest, and Scouting America's Order of the Arrow, Ben is a student who pours his full energy into everything he touches.
To Ben, "Service Above Self" means a simple, unyielding commitment: being willing to dedicate your time to helping others, no matter what it takes or what the conditions are.
Ben doesn't just talk about service; he lives it out through quiet determination. A striking example of his character took place when a local disabled community member was facing city fines because he was physically unable to maintain his property. Ben spent a grueling 12-hour day out in the blistering heat cleaning and clearing the yard, lifting a heavy financial and physical burden off this neighbor's shoulders.
That hands-on dedication extends even across the country and into his local community. Ben has traveled on four separate mission trips across the country, volunteered as a counselor at church camp and Vacation Bible School, and regularly leads cleanup and restoration projects for those in need. Ben is also a constant and someone who you can always rely on when help is needed whether that is at school, the community, or across the country.
Ben's advice is always straightforward and powerful: "If you can help, do it-because if you were in their shoes, you would want some help, too.”
