For 15 young people from Chester County, Pa., and beyond, the summer of 2012 meant hours of hard work. And, by all accounts, it was worth every sweat-producing minute. The volunteers at New Bolton Center, the large-animal campus of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, were honored recently in a celebration ceremony on campus.

New Bolton Center, located in Kennett Square, Pa, encompasses hospital facilities for the care of horses and food animals as well as diagnostic laboratories serving the agriculture industry. The George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals sees approximately 6,000 cases annually, and has one of the world’s largest equine clinical faculties.

Wendy Keeler, large animal patient care technician at New Bolton Center, organized the volunteers. She said, "These dedicated workers made sure that every patient was groomed every day, the stables were in impeccable order, and gave a hand moving and handling patients whenever we needed one. Together, they have given close to 2,049 hours since May