Article by Phoenix writer Grace Garcia ’23:
It was a sun-filled day and Olivia Jungkunst ‘25 was looking forward to the challenge of running up and down the soccer field in a competitive match with her team. As the ball was passed to Olivia, she felt a burst of energy. She ran faster, and with a strong accurate kick, she landed the ball in the net and secured a goal for the team. The internal celebration was immediate but Olivia’s success was not limited to the soccer field. Olivia wears a number of hats as a varsity athlete, an employee at a local restaurant, a sophomore at Kellenberg, and perhaps the most important team event, she is an advocate for veterans.
Olivia’s family has been dedicated to serving the citizens of New York and the United States. She was raised by a mother who is a retired police officer and with uncles who are veterans. The philosophy of giving back inspired her to begin volunteering at a young age beginning with First Company Pink, a non-profit organization that raises funds for breast cancer research, and St. Christopher’s, an organization that offers care and services to families and children with special needs.
Leading up to Veterans Day, Olivia was inspired to lead a food drive for the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency’s “Vet Mart” in East Meadow. Imagine having served in the military and risking the loss of one’s life and limbs and now being unable to purchase enough food to sustain health. The reasons for hunger in the veteran population are complex, but post-traumatic stress disorder can contribute to difficulty in sustaining employment. By talking to veterans in her own family and in Nassau County, she realized that the words “Veteran and food insecurity” should never be within the same sentence.
The news about the food drive was spread through her soccer club, social media, and flyers posted in local businesses. The Amazon truck with its blue smile logo was a sign of donations arriving from the link on the fundraising website. In addition to balancing academics, athletics, and school commitments, Olivia’s evenings became filled with finalizing donation boxes. Each fold of a cardboard box and every successful drive to the pantry, with her mother at her side to assist, signified a step closer to success.
The final tally of roughly six thousand dollars in food and toiletries were donated to the Vet Mart. As Christmas time approached, Olivia received another donation which afforded the opportunity to spread a little Christmas cheer. With the donation, Olivia purchased 50 crumb cakes and decorated each with holiday red and green. Each veteran who came to the Vet Mart during Christmas week received the sweet treat as a simple “thank you” for their service to our country. Still reeling from the surprise of the success of the food drive, Olivia was awarded a Citation from Nassau Community to thank her for her continued work to help veterans.
Olivia’s exploits on the soccer field may one day make her an MVP (Most Valuable Player) as an athlete, but it is undeniable that she is already an MVP in her community and in the hearts of the veterans whose lives she has already impacted in such a meaningful way.
