Florida’s Hometown USA Program, Inc., an educational youth organization established in 1986, selected of ShaKira Huff of Wildwood and Harper Richey of Fruitland Park as representatives for their hometowns in 2025. These exceptional young women are among five students, ranging from elementary school to college, chosen annually to represent their communities throughout Florida.

ShaKira Huff, the college representative, is the daughter of Willie and Christina Huff, and Harper Richey, the middle school representative, is the daughter of Sarah and Justin Richey. Throughout the coming year, they will dedicate their time to volunteer projects aimed at giving back to their communities and making a meaningful difference in the lives of their neighbors.

“Our program is designed to educate Florida’s youth on the importance of volunteerism and inspire them to make a positive impact through service,” Linda Watts, Managing Director at Florida’s Hometown USA Program, says.

In addition to their roles as representatives, participants are eligible for the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes individuals whose service positively impacts communities nationwide. This year, for the first time in the program’s 38-year history, Meagann Goodridge was honored with the prestigious Lifetime Volunteer Award for completing 4,000 hours of service over five years.

“Meagann’s dedication and sacrifice are an inspiration to us all,” Linda says. “Many times, Meagann had other fun things to do, but she put volunteering first when she knew someone needed her help. This is an outstanding accomplishment and speaks very highly of our program.”

The other four selected students received Gold Presidential Service Awards for completing 100–250 hours of volunteer service within a year.