NATCHEZ &045;&045; Eighteen-year-old Hillaire Long’s work to save lives in Natchez has earned statewide recognition.

Long is the recipient of the 2004 Governor’s Initiative for Volunteer Excellence Youth Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. She will travel to Jackson next week for a luncheon with the governor and the recipients for other age categories.

Long, nominated for the GIVE Award by Sen. Robert Dearing, Rep. Phillip West and Mayor F.L. &uot;Hank&uot; Smith, will be recognized for two projects to stop drunk driving in Natchez.

In October Guardian Angel Curfew Stickers were made available for parents of teenagers to place on car windows. Long raised the money from local businesses to print 1,000 of the stickers so local law enforcement officers could stop vehicles out after curfew.

During the annual balloon race weekend, Long organized a Tipsy Taxi shuttle service to provide rides from local bars for those who had too much to drink.

&uot;It took blood, sweat and tears,&uot; she said. &uot;I went to businesses after work every day until I had enough money.&uot;

Long had posters advertising the service printed and posted in every bar bathroom in town. She also hired the shuttle driver and rented the shuttle.

Smith said he got notice of the award and thought Long was well deserving.

&uot;I felt like the programs she initiated and successfully completed were worthy of that award,&uot; Smith said. &uot;It showed a lot of courage and a lot of maturity for a person of her age to want to do something like that.&uot;

Long said she has been volunteering all her life and doesn’t really consider what she did hard work. &uot;When I think of volunteer work I think hard, sweaty work that takes a long time,&uot; she said. &uot;And this wasn’t that hard. It was more about raising the money than anything.&uot;

Since she didn’t even know she had been nominated for the award, Long was surprised she won.

&uot;It’s good because it shows other people in my age group that there are benefits to volunteering,&uot; she said.

The GIVE awards were established in 1993 by former First Lady Pat Fordice and have grown since then, said Michele Baker-Pickett of the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service. &uot;They have since blossomed and grown into a quite prestigious statewide award that recognizes volunteers,&uot; she said.

Winners must show a meaningful commitment of time and effort, address a real community need and show kindness. An outside panel judged the nominees. There were 50 entries in the competition ranging over several age and group categories. The April 7 luncheon will include video clips of all the winners, a time for them to speak and award presentations by the governor.

Long, a 2003 graduate of Natchez High School, said her interest in volunteerism came from her mother, who is a social worker. She also credits several volunteer organizations at NHS with teaching her what to do.

Long is currently trying to organize a dinner theatre to benefit organizations such as the Sunshine Shelter and the Humane Society.

She plans to attend college and major in business to eventually work in events coordination or hotel management, but she said she will always be a volunteer.

&uot;It doesn’t make me feel so selfish,&uot; she said. &uot;It’s something everybody should do.&uot;

Smith said he was not surprised Long won.

&uot;I’m very proud of her, and I think any time we are able to recognize the efforts of some of the folks in our community we should take the opportunity,&uot; Smith said.