LEWISTON – KIDS Consortium of Lewiston is one of three recipients of the fifth annual Harris Wofford Award by Youth Service America, a national nonprofit center in Washington.

Kids Involved Doing Service Consortium was recognized Friday in Philadelphia for its work with school districts and community organizations.

“The award is a culmination of a lot of hard work by many dedicated individuals working to change the lives of children,” Marvin Rosenblum, chairman of the organization, said in a statement.

KIDS Consortium helps school districts and communities across New England make service learning part of academic life for K-12 students. Service learning is when students take what they learn in the classroom and apply those lessons to help their community.

For example, Martel Elementary School teacher Darlene Letourneau now has her Lewiston third-graders working on a project about obesity. “They’re researching the issue, and may make recommendations about (changing) school policy to officials,” Fran Rudoff, executive director of the organization, said Friday from Philadelphia.

Another example includes one from a few years ago when two Auburn Middle School teachers had their students interview different community organizations to find out their needs. One group of students made a video about conditions at the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society. That film helped efforts to raise money for the shelter and improve conditions for the animals, Rudoff said.

– Bonnie Washuk