Selah senior at home helping others

SELAH, WASH. -- Odd as it may sound, methamphetamine has probably been good for Brian Vance.

For that matter, so have hurricanes and needy children.

To put it more accurately, Vance has been good for them; he's worked relentlessly through his high school career to combat areas of need.

The Selah High School senior has mounted campaigns to educate against meth use, help a Florida school pummeled by hurricanes and raise money for children needing food, clothing and medicine.

And he still does his school work, as evidenced by his 3.9 GPA.

Vance is passionate about community service, devoting hundreds upon hundreds of hours trying to better conditions for people other than himself.

"Brian is a real sincere young man who is focussed on wanting to serve others," says Selah High Principal Joe Jones. "He's a great example of students who pour themselves into high school."

As a tribute for all his volunteer work, last year Vance was elected national vice president of community service for the Family Career Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), a 220,000 member student organization.

Vance launched his service to others several years ago with two wide-ranging projects: he coordinated a statewide collection for the March of Dimes and led an effort to adopt a Florida school decimated by a hurricane.

He also spearheaded a national push to help Feed the Children, raising $222,000 for the nonprofit Christian relief organization.

But, perhaps closest to Vance's heart has been his two-year project to educate against meth use.

That's because he's witnessed the utter devastation the drug can cause.

"My uncle has essentially been a drug addict since high school. He went to being a skeleton with skin," Vance explains.

"That whole process has had a huge impact on my family." (His parents are Michelle McCartney and Dan Vance.)

Vance estimates he's devoted between 400-600 hours working to educate about the destruction and social ills caused by the drug.

"It was a full-time job for me," he says.

He made several trips across the country, presenting to national conferences, police agencies and student groups. A DVD he made about meth prevention has been reproduced at least 600 times for use in schools.

What spurred him on was hoping he could influence not only people he knows -- "If I could keep someone from coming back to our high school reunion looking like that (a skeleton)" -- as well as people he hasn't met and may never.

"I thought this was something within my grasp. I can have a bigger impact than just a small circle of friends or one school," Vance says.

The meth project has also impacted his own life, after drawing the attention of several national foundations.

He's been named one of 12 national winners, from 8,000 applicants, of the Toyota Community Service Scholarship, a $20,000 award.

"It's huge," he says.

He's also receiving $1,000 from the Prudential Spirit of Community Award; two winners are chosen from each state.

On top of those two, his work at Selah High School as ASB director of technology also attracted attention: he's won a WAVE (Washington Award for Vocational Excellence) Scholarship, which pays two years tuition to a state institution. Three awards are given in each state legislative district.

Vance is gathering up his various awards and heading to Washington State University where he'll study chemistry, with an eye on becoming a pharmacist.

In addition to his work with technology and FCCLA, Vance was instrumental in helping develop the lacrosse club at the high school and participated in advanced choir.

He's clearly leaving his mark, says Jones.

"Brian is one of those students who's taken advantage of so many opportunities and turned around and given back to the community."

Brian Vance

* Age: 18

* School: Selah High School

* Notable: Vance carries a 3.9 GPA, is active in student government and is a national officer in Family Career Community Leaders of America.

* What's next? With $21,000 in national scholarship monies and an additional state award paying two years of college tuition, Vance will attend Washington State University to pursue a degree in pre-pharmacy.

* When Selah graduates: 1 p.m. Saturday at the Yakima Valley SunDome.