TYLER, Texas — It's the second year that Visit Tyler is doing the “Rose City Ambassador” program, which focuses on giving high school students the opportunity to earn community volunteer hours.
The program is open to all high school students residing in Smith County who enjoy working with others.
Students must be academically eligible, fill out an application and go through a training process. The deadline to apply to be a Rose City Ambassador is Monday, Jan. 16 and the application can be found online on the Visit Tyler website or at local high school counselor’s offices.
Participants in the program will act as greeters at large community events throughout the year like the Azalea & Spring Flower Trail, Texas Rose Festival and Azalea District Trail of Lights. Ambassadors will also have the opportunity to serve at the Visit Tyler Visitor Center at various times throughout the year.
Students will earn community service hours, which can be counted on towards college applications or high school requirements.
The Rose City Ambassador program has taken the place of Visit Tyler’s Azalea Belle program, which happened only during Azalea & Spring Flower Trail and was only open to girls.
“We found there was a need in the community to offer volunteer opportunities to students throughout the year,” said Susan Travis, Vice President of Tourism for Visit Tyler. “The new, revamped program is open to more students and gives students more chances to serve the community and earn their service hours.
"2022 was the first year of the newly launched program, and it was a huge success! The students learned so much, and several of them are already looking forward to applying and hopefully serving again in 2023.”
A maximum of 25 students will be selected for a one-year term and will need to reapply each year after the end of their term.
