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Jed Boal ReportingA South Jordan ninth-grader today was honored as one of Utah's top two youth volunteers of the year. He honored and preserved the memory of those buried in an old cemetery in the valley.
The youth volunteer from South Jordan Middle School accomplished quite a restoration project in the Bingham City Cemetery, and he did it by enlisting the help of more than 250 other volunteers of all ages.
Bradley Jencks received the silver medallion from The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program. Jencks cleaned and restored headstones in the Bingham City Cemetery. He also collected information on more than 1,400 graves and made the information available to the public through books and websites.
It all started when he visited the cemetery with his parents to gather information about nine ancestors buried there and saw broken and vandalized gravestones. With the help of a band of volunteers, Jencks cleaned up the cemetery and compiled a database of information on those buried there.
Bradley Jencks, Silver Medallion Recipient: "Bingham City has been forgotten about. It's a ghost town. Now that I've done this project, it's back on the map, all thanks to these volunteers."
The young student did not set out to win any award, but a teacher encouraged him to submit his project for consideration.
As a state honoree, Jencks receives $1,000 and a trip to Washington, D.C. where he will be recognized with more than 100 other top honorees from across the country.
