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| Amazing
Kids! of the Month
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 Kids! of the Month for June, 2003: Prudential Spirit of Community Winners, U.S.A!
Quotes of the Month: "Because I live with diabetes, I understand the daily struggles of living with a chronic illness," Clare said. "I also understand how easy it can be to lose hope. I decided not to be drawn down by this, but to do something positive about it." Highland Park, New Jersey "No matter what situation you are in, you can always help make things better for others." Sasha Bowers,
14
"It seems that when you help in some small way, it affects lots of other people and things. It just expands in a circle." Chas Duff, 14
This month's Amazing Kids! of the Month winners are the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards 2003 National Honorees. Each of the amazing middle and high school students honored have done exemplary community service work. Read each of their amazing stories below and who knows? You might get inspired to start your own community service project! And don't forget,
if you, or a young person (or persons!) you know, has an amazing project
you are involved in, or a special skill, talent or ability you want to
tell the world about, be sure to let Amazing Kids! know about it!
Teachers are invited to nominate their entire classroom and the amazing
projects they are working on too! Simply complete a nomination
form for an Amazing Kid! of the Month award, or email
us!
About the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
The Prudential Spirit
of Community Awards is an awards program which recognizes outstanding community
service by middle school and high school students across the United States.
The program, now in its eighth year, is sponsored by Prudential Financial
and the National Association of Secondary School Principles (NASSP).
This year's ten National winners, ranging in age from 10 to 18, each received $5,000, an engraved gold medallion and a crystal trophy for their schools! In addition, a total of $250,000 in toys, clothing and other juvenile products has been donated in their names to needy children in their local areas by Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc., the national charity of the children's apparel and products industry. (The following information has been reprinted with permission from the Prudential website.)
Laura Greer, 17, of Miami, Florida, a senior
at Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove, researched and wrote "The
Foster Care Guide for Kids," a book designed to answer the many questions
that children have about their foster care experiences. While volunteering
at a local shelter for abused children, Laura discovered that many of the
kids didn't understand what was happening to them. "I tried to gently explain
their situation," she said, "but I knew my explanations weren't enough."
Laura's search for a suitable children's book or pamphlet explaining foster care turned up nothing, so she decided
to create her own. After spending many hours reading through materials
written for adults, attending foster parent training courses, talking to
foster parents and interviewing foster children, Laura wrote a 40-page
book in both English and Spanish. She also wrote letters to 350 people
in her community, which brought in $35,000 in donations to cover printing
and distribution costs. Laura's book has been approved by the Florida Department
of Children and Families, and distributed to numerous foster care providers
and child welfare organizations. In addition, the Miami-Dade County Public
School System has distributed copies to school psychologists, social workers
and counselors throughout the district.
Christepher Romero, 17, of Phoenix, Arizona,
a junior at Sunnyslope High School, survived a rough childhood in an inner-city
neighborhood and went on to develop a program that is now helping to keep
other at-risk teens in his old school away from crime and drugs. When he
was young, Chris's mother struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and an inability to care for her children. Chris was recruited by neighborhood gangs, but was ultimately "saved" by a school counselor who later adopted
him. In his new family, Chris began to think of the kids in his old neighborhood
who did not have the opportunities he now enjoys. "I decided to do something
to help them and honor my parents," he said.
He approached a police officer working at his former school and became a volunteer mentor. He soon put together
a plan to teach kids swimming and soccer, conduct CPR and nutrition classes,
and organize neighborhood "clean-ups. Other students have since signed
on to help Chris, and his program - called "School Buddies" - now also
offers after-school tutoring and recreation activities during school breaks.
Chris plans to start a foundation soon - named after his adoptive parents
- to provide college scholarships to children from his old neighborhood.
Clare Rosenfeld, 16, of Eugene, Oregon,
a junior at South Eugene High School, is a national leader in raising public
awareness of diabetes, and a tireless advocate for diabetic young people.
"Because I live with diabetes, I understand the daily struggles of living
with a chronic illness," Clare said. "I also understand how easy it can
be to lose hope. I decided not to be drawn down by this, but to do something
positive about it."
After mentoring other young people with diabetes, Clare realized that if they all banded together, they could accomplish
a great deal. She wrote the CEO of the American Diabetes Association proposing
a youth advocacy program and then, once it was established, served as the
association's first National Youth Advocate. She traveled extensively for
public speaking engagements, raised $30,000 for cure research, testified
before Congress, developed a website, and corresponded with hundreds of
newly diagnosed children and teens. Last year, she took her efforts to
the international level, founding International Diabetes Youth Ambassadors
to educate, inspire and support young diabetics around the world. Her new
organization already has close to 100 ambassadors in 18 countries.
Ashley Shuyler, 18, of Golden, Colo., a
senior at Colorado Academy in Denver, founded a non-profit organization
that has raised more than $70,000 to provide four years of secondary education
to 20 young women in Tanzania, and to provide badly needed supplies to
girls' schools in that African nation. Ashley's idea germinated many years
ago when she traveled to Africa for a wildlife safari. "The people I met
there lived in poverty unlike anything I had seen before," she said. "I
returned home with a new awareness of just how blessed we are here in the
U.S., and just how many opportunities we have."
A few years later, after meeting two missionaries who had started a school for Maasai girls in Tanzania, Ashley decided to focus on helping young African women get an education. She began seeking
the assistance of friends, neighbors and family members, and before long,
she had established a non-profit organization called AfricAid. She produced
a brochure to describe her mission, developed a newsletter, launched a
website, organized several fundraisers, and over the past two years has
spent countless hours speaking to church groups, civic clubs, school organizations
and others about her cause. Ashley hopes the impact of her work will go
far beyond the girls she is helping. "After they graduate, they will either
be able to continue their education, become teachers themselves, or return
to their villages and make the health, economic and social changes they
so badly need and desire."
Gideon Sofer, 18, of Highland Park, N.J., a senior at Highland Park High School, is conducting a national campaign to raise awareness and funds to fight Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which has afflicted him for much of his life. After nearly dying three years ago from a particularly serious attack of Crohn's disease, Gideon decided to take action. "I didn't know how many days I had left," he said, "but as long as I was being given the gift of life, I was going to do everything in my power to conquer this thing." An avid stamp collector, he began by launching an effort to persuade the U.S. Postal Service to issue a stamp highlighting Crohn's disease. He built a website to promote the idea, collected 5,000 signatures on a petition, and helped draft a Congressional resolution urging approval of the new stamp. Gideon also has delivered motivational lectures at schools and student conferences, and recently formed a foundation that is seeking pharmaceutical research grants to study the disease. "With Crohn's or any adversity, you can live a life of sorrow feeling helpless," he said, "or you can choose to turn it into an opportunity and realize you have the power to create change." National Middle School Honorees (The following information has been reprinted with permission from the Prudential website.)
Sasha Bowers, 14, of Columbus, Ohio, an eighth-grader at Norton Middle School, drew upon her experience living in a homeless shelter to develop
a summer-long program of weekly activities for more than 250 other homeless
children in the Columbus area. As a shelter resident, Sasha had enjoyed
field trips to a local park, but thought they could be made more fun and
educational. When she learned that volunteers were being recruited to work
with homeless children, she figured there was no reason why she couldn't
help. "I realized that even if I was homeless, I could still help other
people, too," she said. She organized a planning committee with other kids
at her shelter, developed ideas for a summer program, and sought donations
from a variety of organizations. Sasha also promoted the program through
media interviews, recruited and managed other volunteers, and arranged
for supplies and transportation. Then, every Monday last summer, Sasha
and her helpers hosted a "learning day" at the park for homeless kids,
featuring gardening, fishing, educational tours, environmental readings
and wildlife lectures. At summer's end, the program culminated with a big party
for the kids, complete with entertainment, crafts, games and gifts. "No
matter what situation you are in, you can always help make things better
for others," said Sasha.
Kristal DeRuisé, 13, of Reno, Nev.,
a seventh-grader at Pine Middle School, raised more than $25,000 for the
National Lupus Foundation of America by designing, painting and selling
decorative "ladybug" rocks. When Kristal learned that her best friend's
mother suffered from lupus, a disease with no cure, Kristal knew she had
to help. She decided to collect round rocks and paint them to look like
ladybugs, and then sell them to help fund research efforts to cure lupus.
"We set a goal of $1,000 in a year," said Kristal, who enlisted the help
of friends and family in her project. She obtained permission to sell her
work at a friend's store and her mother's work place. An article in the
local newspaper helped spread the word, and Kristal's first 500 rocks sold
out within three months. "The hardest part was finding all the rocks,"
she said.
Sales of Kristal's ladybug rocks now total over $25,000, with all profits going to the National Lupus Foundation of
America, and she has been contacted by kids in other states who want to
join the cause. "I learned that even the smallest idea can become huge,"
said Kristal. "We haven't gotten a cure yet, but we are still trying."
Chas Duff, 14, of Chatsworth, Cal., an
eighth-grade student at Sierra Canyon School, remodeled an old gym locker
room at a high school for juvenile offenders, and turned it into the school's
first library. "My project idea came from three things that are very important
to me," Chas said. "The first is reading, the second is helping people, and the third is doing the right thing." After learning that William Tell Aggeler High School in Los Angeles did not have a library, Chas offered to provide one
and then went to work developing a plan and obtaining all of the necessary
approvals. He solicited donations of money, building materials, and skilled labor from local businesses, unions and civic groups. Volunteers from Chas' school,
scout troop and church helped level a cement floor, paint walls, install
carpet, and build shelving. Others shelved and catalogued book donations
using the Dewey Decimal system. In addition to housing books the school
already had, the new library will feature 4,000 new volumes purchased with
a state grant and another 1,000 collected by Chas. The library is not only
providing much broader reading horizons for Aggeler High School students,
but also has inspired some of Chas' friends to start volunteer projects of their own. "It seems
that when you help in some small way, it affects lots of other people
and things," said Chas. "It just expands in a circle."
Jacob Komar, 10, of Burlington, Connecticut,
a sixth-grader at Talcott Mountain Academy in Avon, initiated a program
called "Computers for Communities" that has restored and upgraded more
than 60 outdated personal computers and installed them in the homes of
families that couldn't afford to buy one. Jacob, a self-described "computer
fanatic," was shocked when he learned of a garage at his sister's school
filled with old computers that were going to be thrown out. He realized
he could revamp the computers and give them to people who could not afford
their own. "I thought that by doing this, I would help a lot of kids get
a head start," said Jacob. First, he secured the school district's approval
to take the old computers, and then went to work on the machines - analyzing, trouble-shooting and rebuilding. He had to
call numerous software companies to transfer licenses, and installed new
software and hardware where appropriate. In order to identify those in
his community most in need of computers, Jacob worked with the Department
of Social Services. When the computers were ready, Jacob installed them
in their new homes and taught 140 family members how to use them. As word
of his project has spread, Jacob has received more computer donations,
and he has recruited other students at his school to help. He also has
received requests from organizations that want to start similar programs,
and he hopes to eventually see the project expand to other communities
across the country.
Clayton Lillard, 14, of San Antonio, Texas,
an eighth-grader at William P. Hobby Middle School, has collected and refurbished
hundreds of used bicycles and donated them as Christmas gifts to children
who have a parent in prison. While walking one day with his mother four
years ago, Clayton saw a neighbor throwing out two perfectly good bicycles,
and thought "it would be really great to fix up those bikes and give them
to kids who would really like to have one." In particular, he had in mind
the children of prison inmates. "I knew that those kids hardly got anything
for Christmas," he said. Clayton persuaded a local radio station to announce
that he was looking for used bicycles, and soon other news media began
reporting on his project. Initially, he received so many donations he had
to turn some away, but ended up refurbishing 100 bikes the first year with
the help of several friends who came to be known as "Clayton's Backyard
Crew." Clayton also rounded up donations of bike helmets, locks and other accessories to go with the restored
bicycles. His crew repaired and donated 300 more during the following two
years. The kids who receive the bicycles, which are distributed through
the Angel Tree Prison Ministry, think they're from their parents in prison,
said Clayton. "You can't imagine the excitement when they find this out!"
he said.
Congratulations again
to all these outstanding youth volunteers! We think you're simply
amazing!
For more information
about the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, visit their website at:
www.prudential.com
Back
to the Amazing Kids! of the Month Index
For more information about Amazing Kids! , please contact us at: info@amazing-kids.org. |
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