Cheyenne Student Raises $3,300 for Orphan’s Surgery [PHOTOS]

A Cheyenne East High School senior has been selected as a Distinguished Finalist for Wyoming in the 2017 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

Liam Guille led an effort with his Interact Club that raised $3,300 to fund a needed heart surgery for Lily, a young girl living in the Beijing orphanage where his parents adopted his, now 3-year-old, brother Elliot.

"They (my parents) fell in love with her (and) her story and I especially just felt a connection to what she had," said Guille. "Elliot had a VSD (ventricular septal defect) as well and the organization that they went through, New Day, has absolutely phenomenal doctors working with them."

Guille says while it's wonderful to be recognized for his volunteer service, that's not his only motivation.

"I think in order to really volunteer and win these awards you can't just be focusing on the award," said Guille. "You have to focus on the volunteering as well."

"Constantly with usually this age group we hear the negatives and you rarely get to hear the positives," said Prudential Financial Advisor Clayton Gray. "There are a lot of positives and people like Liam that are just a joy to be around and I think that's the real nexus of the program."

Guille plans on attending the University of Wyoming this fall and majoring in molecular biology.