community

Daily Point of Light #4226, Ashraya Ananthanarayanan

At an age when most children are discovering their gifts, Ashraya Ananthanarayanan is using her’s to change the world. Only 8 years old, Ashraya has already helped people, animals, and the environment. Her work shows us that anyone can take action to change the world. Since the age of four, Ashraya has been using her gifts of music, dance, and the written word to affect change upon the world. Her first trick was raising funds for underprivileged kids in India at age four.

Daily Point of Light #4332, Maryella Morley

Maryella Morley is a volunteer who assists women in transition. She helps women achieve goals in various fields, including higher education, career advancement, financial self-sufficiency, and small business ownership. She addresses a very important community need. By assisting women with decreased life and social skills, lack of education, and underemployed circumstances, she has helped them achieve their own goals to provide not only for themselves but also for their families.

Daily Point of Light #4331, Karen Benson

Karen Benson is a key member in the Missouri State Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. She also is a case advocate with the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Not only does Karen have a passion for helping populations at their greatest time of need, after disaster strikes, she also helps the state of Missouri develop a strong disaster case management training platform, which aids individuals to serve disaster areas efficiently and effectively.

Daily Point of Light #4211, Jacob Liberman

At twelve, Jacob Liberman stood apart as a volunteer planting trees and, two years later, is using his enthusiasm and organizational ability by joining the organization, treepeople.org, and creating a 41-volunteer project.

Daily Point of Light #4205, Grant Reed

Although he’s still in school to become a doctor, Grant Reed didn’t wait for a diploma to begin helping his community to heal. As a student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, Grant created the Illini Medical Screening Society (IMSS). IMSS is a student-run mobile health clinic that provides free medical screening service to the underserved and uninsured residents of Champaign County.

Daily Point of Light #4203, Adner Marcelin

When dealing with the well being of the community, Adner Marcelin has no boundaries. A friend once told him that he could not invest his personal finances in his community. He simply said, “If it will help one person improve their situation, then it improves the community that I am a part of. That’s money well spent.” Adner, 22, strives to make a positive influence in his community. He has mentored young people with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Big Bend and the NAACP Youth Council to make a difference with others.

Daily Point of Light #4200, Gloria Owczarski

One of the greatest gifts a volunteer can give is not just a dollar, a lesson, or a bit of their time, but a new feeling or confidence in the person they are helping. Gloria Owczarski’s Day of Beauty does this by beauty treatments to kids with special needs. Using her own experience with the special needs population as inspiration, she has inspired others to do the same. Growing up with a sister with Down Syndrome, Gloria has always had an interest in the welfare of the special needs population. Already a swim couch for the Special Olympics, Gloria decided she could do more.

Daily Point of Light #4199, Betsy Beckmann

Betsey Beckmann will literally give you the clothes off of her back. In fact, she has. With a smile, she has given a child a coat of hers to keep warm during the brutal winters in the St. Louis, Missouri area. It is with this same wit and passion that Betsey started and organized Coat-A-Kid, an organization that provides coats to low-income families during the winter.

Daily Point of Light #4198, Carly and Molly Houlahan

Carly and Molly Houlahan have learned how to overcome problems and use their tribulations to inspire change with their honey selling business Hive for Lives. After experiencing the loss of their grandfather to esophageal cancer at young ages, Carly and Molly Houlahan, at the ages of 9 and 11, started a honey company where profits go to the research of cancer cures.

Daily Point of Light #4197, Alyssa Hersey

Alyssa Hersey is a perfect example that change can start with anyone, anywhere, at anytime. A young teen that excels at her school work, Alyssa has used her passion for change to inspire her peers through her organization USE IT, U can Serve Everywhere, Involve your Talent. Alyssa has been taught the importance of giving back since the tender age of 8. As she recalls on her website, “My parents have always demonstrated giving back and have shown me and my siblings that volunteering starts at home and there are no efforts too small.”

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