AUSTIN, Texas—Covington Middle School teacher Shirley Hartmann recently accepted the Jane Nethercut Award for Excellence in Philanthropy Education, an award recognizing Central Texas educators for inspiring students to make a difference in their communities, from Austin nonprofit A Legacy of Giving.

The award was presented at A Legacy of Giving’s Teacher Training held at the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the University of Texas at Austin. 

The science and social studies teacher launched A Legacy of Giving curriculum in 2009 and partnered with the nonprofit to launch Covington Young Philanthropists. A Legacy of Giving’s philanthropy education program teaches students about philanthropy and engages young people in addressing social concerns.

“Service is a learned behavior,” A Legacy of Giving Executive Director Linda Brucker said. “Shirley Hartman has taught over 1,000 students the joy of giving back, and now they are modeling service among their peers.”

Last school year, Hartmann’s students raised 1,227 pounds of food for the Capital Area Food Bank, $887 to build clean water systems in Burundi, Africa; and 318 coats for Coats for Kids.

According to Youth Service America, children who volunteer are twice as likely to volunteer as adults.