Explaining how the welfare of senior citizens benefit all in the community, Jose Galaraza was declared winner of a 4-Way Speech Contest on Thursday, March 23. The local-level event was held at Hamburg Area High School and sponsored by the Rotary Club of Hamburg.
Galaraza is a home-schooled student who will graduate this year. He plans to study cyber security at Reading Area Community College in the fall.
This was the third year for the Hamburg contest, and Galaraza was one of six local high schoolers to compete. Each spent six weeks choosing meaningful topics and structuring comments around four questions: Is it true? Is it fair to all? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? And is it beneficial to all?
“Imagine yourself at the age of 65. For some of you, this may be 20 years down the line and for some of you I may be late asking,” Galaraza began, noting that many anticipate spending their retirement with grandchildren and on vacations.
“Or perhaps you feel a sense of dread,” Galaraza said, “a fear of the unknown and of who or what will provide for you when you can’t anymore.”
A volunteer for Meals on Wheels for two years, Galaraza shared experiences of substandard food quality and inaccurate shipments.
“I had merely scratched the surface of a much larger issue nationwide,” he said: the importance of promoting the general welfare of senior citizens.
He noted that some senior centers, such as Berks Encore, have closed and many seniors live near the poverty line. The 2008 recession left many baby boomers with inadequate funds to cover retirement.
“Senior centers provide an invaluable resource for their communities,” Galaraza said, by providing meals, exercise and social interaction. “Coming into the center each day, I was greeted by a warm smile from everyone.”
Annual costs for nursing homes are $60,000 and rising, but investing in home repairs and in-home services like Meals on Wheels can allow seniors to remain in their homes longer.
“We can see that taking care of our senior citizens is a true cause to be supported as well as one that is fair to all,” Galaraza concluded. “Building goodwill and better friendships, as well as avoiding costly stays in nursing homes [assures] that our fathers and mothers, neighbors and friends can look forward to enjoying their golden years.”
As the first place winner, Galaraza won a cash prize and will represent the Hamburg area at the Regional 4-Way Speech Contest held at Kutztown University on Saturday, April 22. Should he be unable to participate, the second-place winner, Grace Kutz, will take his place.
Kutz is a junior at Hamburg Area High School. She spoke about affordable health care, a speech inspired by her volunteer work at a Reading area emergency room.
“In America,” she asked, “is health care a privilege or is it a right?”
Long wait times and high costs frustrate patients and overwhelm providers, she said. By improving the system, she believes society will benefit by the resulting quality of care.
“A parent should not be sitting in an emergency room lobby mentally calculating [finances] so that their child can receive proper treatment,” Kutz said, adding, “I see this every week.”
Coming in third in the March 23 contest was fellow Hamburg junior Eliza Moseman. She tackled the subject of standardized testing and recommended portfolio performance instead to measure annual student growth.
“If a student masters skills in test taking, they have in theory mastered the subject,” she explained, but “in reality, understanding the formula does not help with understanding the concept.”
The fourth-place winner was Haley Savastano. The Hamburg sophomore discussed the harmful effects of GMOs and the need to require labeling on food products.
She concluded, “We vote with our dollars every time we shop. Collectively, we have the power to decide how our food is made.”
Rounding out the Hamburg speech contest were sophomores Julia Doklan and Jenny Chen. Doklan endorsed group homes as the best option for adults with disabilities. Chen advocated open-mindedness to improve society.
Rotarian and contest chair Christine Roth said, “I am really excited about tonight’s contest and really pleased that we have three new contestants and three returning from previous years.”
“What always pleases me is, that no matter who the students are, there is always a variety and a range in topics,” Roth said, noting that each speech reflects a student’s passionate cause based on personal experience, a moral dilemma or a broader issue.
Hamburg Principal Shawn Gravish told all six contestants, “Thank you for going the extra mile. I’m so proud tonight for the effort you put forth. It’s a difficult thing to get in front of an audience and to speak about what you are passionate and what your beliefs are.”
The 4-Way Test was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor, who had just taken charge of a company facing bankruptcy, Roth explained. He asked his employees to use the test in making better decisions. Today, my.rotary.com reports the test has been translated into more than 100 languages and is recited at Rotary Club meetings around the world.
The Rotary Club of Hamburg provides cash prizes to the first- to fourth-place winners in the contest and certificates for all. They also pay entry fees for contestants and volunteer time to coach students and judge the contest. It’s an investment of time and money, Roth said, but they believe the students are worth it.
