Charlotte teens to be honored at GoodWorks Youth Awards

Five Charlotte teens are being recognized for their good deeds at the 2013 GoodWorks Youth Awards tonight.

The students will be recognized in two categories.

The first is diversity. Samantha Del Vecchio, from Providence Day School, created Girls Aid to empower young women to start entrepreneurial ventures.

From Charlotte Latin, Simona Gupta created a program to raise money and awareness for human trafficking victims. She was inspired by stories of young women who were victims from India and Nepal.

In the education category, Savannah Smith of North Mecklenburg High is being recognized for tutoring autistic students at Blyth Elementary. She chose to help the students instead of taking an elective course at school.

At Vance High, Hailey Sammons formed TRU Club, which provides information to youth about preventing the use of tobacco.

Bailey Brooks, who has been featured previously on Young Achievers, created a child-abuse prevention campaign called NOTICE, which Mecklenburg County adopted in April for Child Abuse Awareness Month. She attends North Mecklenburg High.

The event, at UNC Charlotte Center City, is 6-9 p.m. To attend, tickets cost $20 for youth and $30 for adults. Debra Plousha Moore, the chief human resources officer and executive vice president of Carolinas HealthCare System, is the keynote speaker.

For more information, visit http://www.goodworksmediagroup.com/events.html.