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Veronica S. Matagaono of Signal Hill, California, was simply trying to survive. She grew up in an unstable, violent home environment. Her parents were poor and often couldn’t afford to feed their family of five children. Many times, Veronica hid her feelings and struggled for her place in the world.

She found it in school.

“It was actually the main light on my dark path,” recalls the 17-year-old senior at Jordan High School in Long Beach, California. “I always had gotten good grades in school and my parents noticed and became proud of me. I was so dedicated to school that I joined everything, from volleyball to selling Girl Scout cookies.”

For Veronica, that dedication extended to volunteering in ways that changed not only her life, but the lives of many young people. Because of her extraordinary efforts to help others, Veronica was chosen for the Violet Richardson Award, which recognizes young girls, ages 14 to 17, who work to better their communities and the world. She went on to be named the 2007 federation-level Violet Richardson Award recipient, with $2,500 given in her honor to the Long Beach WRAP (Winners Realizing Amazing Potential) program, her major volunteer involvement.

When she learned about her honor, Veronica said, “I was surprised. I felt like a million dollars, like I hit the jackpot. That’s how I felt. Like I really, really accomplished something.”

For a time, however, Veronica felt like she was accomplishing very little. After her father died, she was crushed. “It hurt me because I became very close to my father and he encouraged me,” she says.  “I started to hang out with the wrong crowd and became disrespectful.”

One day she heard her mother crying and went to speak with her. Her mother reminded Veronica of the good person she had been. “I wanted my mother to be happy so I dedicated myself to school again,” she says.
Her primary involvement continues to be with the Jordan High School Long Beach WRAP program, where she recruited many of her friends who were in trouble. As a result, the program grew from 200 students to more than 1,200.

“I saw it change their lives,” she says. “I believed this program would help me know a brighter future and I wanted to share that with my peers.”

As part of the WRAP program, Veronica helped create an Anti-Violence Committee. She and a group of students plan and rehearse skits dealing with violence among teenagers. The teens first act out the issue in the way it should not be done, then the way it should be done. After each skit, they dialogue with the audience.

“I’ve facilitated this program and have performed at Long Beach City College and various church groups in the community,” she says. “I want to help other teens realize that violence is not the answer and there is a way to solve their problems without violence. I’ve found the teens who watch the program really get into it and we feel we are changing their minds about violence.”

Veronica’s volunteer activities, however, extend beyond the WRAP program to numerous organizations, including: the AIM (Apprenticeship in Medicine) Program; her school’s peace group; the Building Bridges Camp program; as a student ambassador for National Conference for Community Justice (NCCJ); and part of the Stranger Safety Program for local elementary school children.

Such involvement begs the question: Does she have any spare time? She laughs. “Yeah, I do and I do regular things that a 17-year-old would do, hang out with my friends. But most of my spare time is spent hanging out at school.”

She’s there most of the time because of her volunteer work, which she loves. “You don’t need to impress anyone or get paid for it. You do it out of your heart because you love what it’s doing for others and it gives you that feeling of accomplishment,” she says.

The director of the Long Beach WRAP program, Candace Meehan, says of Veronica, “She’s a wonderful student … and is very determined to make a positive impact in her community. I’ve also learned of the many challenges in her life and I’m amazed at her strength and determination to succeed. She talks about going to college every day.”
As to her future, Veronica wants to volunteer for the rest of her life, she says. Her biggest dream is some day to go to needy countries to educate the people about diseases like AIDS and malnutrition.

“Everyone in the world doesn’t have what we have,” she says. “When you think about other countries and how they live, it’s nothing compared to our lives. It makes me thankful for what I do have in many ways.”

The Soroptimist Violet Richardson Award program recognizes and encourages girls like Veronica who work hard to make the world a better place. Veronica's work exemplifies the extraordinary contributions girls can make to their communities and to the world.