Life Care Centers of America recognized the contributions of volunteer Kayla Carter during the company’s annual management meeting awards dinner on Monday, Sept. 10.

An 18-year-old from Soddy Daisy, Carter received Life Care’s Youth Volunteer of the Year Award. This honor is presented to one young person each year for extraordinary volunteer service.

Carter has been volunteering at Life Care Center of Hixson for more than a year, inspired by her hope of becoming a special needs educator.

“Our residents are energized by the involvement of young people in the activities and services of our centers,” said Beecher Hunter, Life Care president. “They love youthful enthusiasm, helpfulness and courtesies, and the boys and girls gain wisdom from their newfound friends.”

During the awards ceremony, Carter was praised for her ability to help residents overcome their challenging situations and for creating new programs at the facility. She has taught sign language to patients who have had strokes, allowing them to better communicate their needs and feelings. She also created a special art class and structured a six-week basic Spanish course for residents, complete with graduation ceremony for those who attended.

“Everything I have learned [as a volunteer] I’m going to apply everywhere in my life,” said Carter.

Carter will be coming to work as an employee at Life Care Center of Hixson this fall as she begins college at Lee University in Cleveland.

The Youth Volunteer Award is presented annually to a volunteer age 18 or younger.  Nominations from every region and division of Life Care are considered. Criteria include contributing a significant amount of time to a specific activity or service, initiating a new program or activity, serving as an excellent example for other individual youth or youth groups and producing positive changes through the volunteer activity or service.