Age: 11    
Hometown: Galway    
School: Galway Junior/Senior High School
Community involvement:  Best Buddies, Franklin Community Center

Keira Porcello isn’t just a longtime member of a competitive cheerleading team—she’s also a fierce cheerleader for her community.

At just 11 years old, Keira is already a veteran volunteer. At Franklin Community Center, she’s helped out with everything from packing food and hygiene kits to cleaning and hosting events. In 2022, she received the Lions Club Citizen Award for her positive impact and community involvement. She’s also a proud member of Best Buddies, an organization that creates opportunities for friendship for kids with intellectual and developmental disabilities. While she’s already begun helping out with the program at her school, she’s looking forward to being assigned a buddy, and has shown an interest in getting to know new students and showing them around her school. 

“I like to help people because it makes me feel good, and I love meeting people I have never interacted with,” she says.

On top of all that, Keira is also a focused student who strives to excel academically, a dedicated team member who leads with perseverance and spirit, and a role model to her younger brother, day in and day out. 

“She is always striving to learn, grow, and make a difference in her community,” Keira’s mom, Samantha, says. “Keira is a remarkable young person with a bright future ahead.”

This story is part of a series in which we feature young people from Saratoga Springs and the Capital Region who are making their communities a better place.