The Ultimate Gift, December’s chosen character trait, is defined by a person who is a true and sincere friend who always strives to put the needs of others above themselves.

Junior Calle Turk was awarded this title. This trait, she says, “really means a lot to me because God has been working with me on it for what seems like a really long time. I so often found myself stressing about issues in my own life and it would just put me in a bad mood and I would end up really frustrated with everything in life; but God has been teaching me that when I open my eyes and see the hurt of others, and do everything I can to help them, the stress of my life fades away and all I can feel is the peace of God and then he can show me how to deal with my own stresses.”

Turk states the people who have influenced her most about selfless and giving have been “Mr. Graves, who literally spent an entire class period almost every single day of last year talking one-on-one with me about almost anything, and I’m not sure he knows how much that helped me or how much it meant to me; and Ryan Becker, who helps with prayer conference every year and made a huge impact on a group of my friends and me.“

Turk finished by saying, “It can be so easy to see someone in need and think ‘Oh, someone else can help them!’ but if everyone does that, then no one gets helped; inversely, if everyone takes every opportunity that they’re given to help others, then all who are hurting (and there are a lot) don’t have to hurt anymore!”