Two Summit High School Seniors Honored at Annual Summit Philanthropy Awards Ceremony

By Sofia Timpone

Dec. 1, 2025

On Nov. 20, the annual Summit Philanthropy Awards celebration, hosted by the Summit Foundation, was held at the Beaver Run Resort, where two Summit High School seniors were honored for their outstanding work in the community. Katherine (Kate) Eldredge and Vanessa Gonzalez were awarded the Outstanding Citizen and Outstanding Youth awards respectively. 

The Summit Foundation is an organization that supports nonprofits, students, and families across Summit County by providing grants, scholarships, and funding. The annual event hosted by the foundation celebrates Summit County residents for their work in the community by presenting awards across multiple categories. 

Kate was nominated for two awards — the Outstanding Youth award and the Outstanding Citizen award — for her extensive leadership both within SHS and beyond.

At SHS, she serves as president of two clubs (Junior Optimist International club and Thespian Honor Society) and as vice-president of the Tri-M Honor Society. Kate has also done extensive work as a member of the Superintendent Task Force Committee, delegate for the Colorado Association of School Boards Conference, and representative of Summit County District in Youth Connections. 

Outside of school, Kate has channeled her passion for golf into the Pink Tees, an all-girls golf group aimed at empowering female golfers. She is also in the process of collaborating with Battle Mountain High School to launch a competitive girls golf team in the spring.

“I am deeply honored [to receive this award], and it has further motivated me to work hard and continue my initiatives to leave a lasting impact at SHS and within the Summit County community,” Kate said.

Vanessa was awarded the Outstanding Youth honor for her dedication to helping students at SHS and Summit Middle School. 

As SHS’ student body president and the president of Mountain Dreamers, Vanessa has done extensive work organizing school events and helping with tutoring initiatives. Vanessa was a founding member of the Student Leadership Retreat tradition and has spent three years putting together events like HOCO, Prom, and Kids Night Out. As part of Mountain Dreamers, she has dedicated a lot of time to tutoring Pre-Collegiate SMS students and providing them with both academic and personal support.

Her service has not gone unnoticed. Two of her closest mentors — Mrs. Corwin and Danelle Hicks — nominated her for this award and have seen her grow throughout her time at SHS.

“They both have seen my dedication to help others in two different aspects of my life,” she shares. (Mrs. Corwin is heavily involved with Student Leadership, while Mrs. Hicks is SHS’ Pre-Collegiate program director).

“Overall, I am just proud to see the growth I experienced throughout my time at SHS be not only seen by me, but also by others,” Vanessa said.