Amazing Kids! is proud to highlight the Amazing Kids! of the Month!

Each month, we showcase kids who are accomplishing amazing things.  We hope that by telling their special stories, we will inspire other kids to accomplish their own amazing achievements. 

Amazing Sondra Clark pictured on the cover of her book Craft Fun with Sondra

"A lot of people set goals and forget about them.  It's important to pick a goal that you really want and then stay focused." 

"I always tell people writing a book is hard work, but if you set a goal of writing 2-3 pages every day, soon the book will be done!"

This month, Amazing Kids! proudly features an amazingly creative, enterprising and caring girl as one of our Amazing Kids! of the Month for May.  At the tender age of 12, Sondra Clark has already done many amazing things in her life, including being the author of two books about making crafts! 

Read Sondra's story below and get ready to be inspired to create something, or write a book, or help others who might need your help--or who knows, you may just decide to try all three!

Table of Contents 

Amazing Craft Maker and Author 
Amazing Humanitarian
Amazing Olympics Torch Bearer!
Related Links
 

Amazing Craft Maker and Author
 

Amazing Sondra busy making a new craft in her crafts room

When Sondra Clark was just 8 years old, she decided she wanted to write a book.  When she asked her mom what she should write about, she said:  "Write about what you know."  Sondra at that moment knew exactly what she would write about:  crafts!  Sondra loved crafts and had been making them since the age of 2!

Because Sondra's family didn't watch much television, Sondra had lots of time on her hands to think of creative things to do.  So she started gluing, cutting and painting all sorts of things in her room.  Now, several years later, she has a seperate room next to her room at home that is her "crafts room," full of all her crafts supplies.  It has a whole wall filled with things such as pipe cleaners, glitter and pompoms!

So Sondra wrote her first book, Craft Fun with Sondra, published by Meadowbrook Press.  She started by choosing 55 of her favorite crafts to make samples of, then dictated to her mother step by step directions. The final result was a book of 55 craft projects that have all been tested by Sondra.  The neat thing is that Sondra is not only selling her book in stores and online at Amazon.com, but when you buy her book, she donates a portion of the proceeds to an organization called Bethany Christian Adoption Services, which finds loving homes for kids.
 

But Sondra didn't stop with just one book!  She wrote another one called Wearable Art with Sondra, published by Prima Publishing, which has over 75 projects for decorating clothes, shoes and jewelry. 

Again, Sondra is donating part of the proceeds from the sale of this book, but this time she is donating it to an organization called:  Childcare International, a Christian organization that helps feed and educate children in places like Africa, India and Haiti for only $30 a month!
 
 

Amazing Humanitarian

Sondra is now the child spokesperson for Childcare International!  She has raised over $35,000 for the organization since she began volunteering for them!  She recently traveled to Africa with the organization and got to visit the 10 year old girl, Anette, who she sponsors.  And this coming year, Sondra will travel around the United States in an R.V. (recreational vehicle) to promote the organization. 

Because of her volunteer work with Childcare International, Sondra was named one of Washington's top two youth volunteers by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, and won $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. to receive her award! 
 
 

Smiling Sondra, amazing humanitarian 

Amazing Olympics Torch Bearer!

But those aren't the only amazing things Sondra has been able to do in her life.  During the 2001 Winter Olympics, Sondra was chosen as the youngest person to carry the Olympic torch in Seattle, Washington! 
 

Sondra, Olympic Torch Bearer! 

If you love crafts too, or want to learn more about Sondra's books, be sure to check out Sondra's  crafts website at:  http://sondrascrafts.com/

Way to go, Sondra!  Keep up the amazing work!

READ MORE ABOUT SONDRA ONLINE:

Sondra's own crafts website: http://sondrascrafts.com/

Check out some of her really fun crafts, like a "Tire Track T-shirt," "Easy Tie Die Tennis Shoes," "Fancy Foam Earrings," and more at: http://sondrascrafts.com/crafts.php

Sondra's talks about how she got started: http://sondrascrafts.com/about.php

Buy Sondra's books online:  Amazon.com website

Read an interview with Sondra on the Girl Power website: www.girlpower.gov/girlarea/gpguests/clark.htm

Read an interview with Sondra on the Families First website:  www.families-first.com/kids/clark.htm

Crafts websites: 

Check out Sondra's Quilted Boxes craft (from her book Craft Fun with Sondra): www.families-first.com/kids/clark2.htm

Craft Planet website: www.craftplanet.com/Inspirations/pos_july00.htm

Childcare International website:www.childcare-intl.org/spn1.php4
Sponsor a child and get one of Sondra's books free!

Bethany website: www.bethany.org