Allison Nichols
Allison Nichols is all for the color pink, at least when it comes to raising awareness, promoting education and fundraising on behalf of the American Cancer Society. Beginning with her work as the captain of the local Relay for Life team, which she founded, 16-year-old Allison is dedicated to finding a cure for cancer.
Having close family and friends affected by this disease has motivated Allison to do everything she can to help, including approaching her local Mayor and county judge for support. Thanks to her commitment, October 28th has been declared Conway County Think Pink Day. Each year a rally is held on Think Pink Day to support those who have been affected by breast cancer, remember those lost, and raise awareness about the disease. Think Pink Day is also a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, raising funds for cancer research through the sale of T-Shirts and other items. In the campaign’s first year, it raised more than $16,000 to help find a cure for cancer.
Allison’s Relay for Life team has also begun Daffodils for Hope, a living memorial to remind the community of the lives that have been touched by cancer. Individuals purchase bulbs to honor friends and family members – yellow to represent survivors and pink for those who have lost their battle. All of the bulbs are planted in downtown Morrilton near a plaque listing the names of individuals represented in the flower bed.
Allison’s work with The Daffodils for Hope project, Relay for Life, and Think Pink has become a reminder for the citizens of Morrilton of their power to create beautiful and meaningful change in the lives of individuals and families touched by cancer.
Catherine Aker
Not all meals are created equal. This is especially true for young children in homeless shelters. Seeing this, Catherine Aker, a shy high school junior, stepped out of her comfort zone, and started The Stone Soup Kitchen to teach homeless kids in her community proper nutrition so they can grow up healthy and strong.
While volunteering at a local homeless shelter, Catherine noticed the kids had a poor diet. Although they were getting sufficient calories for their young bodies, it was mostly from junk food, even when healthier food was available. The kids didn’t understand proper nutrition, and were not involved in the preparation of their food. Also, the kids were influenced by television commercials aimed at kids that advertised junk food. Sadly, the unhealthy diets of the homeless children could lead to obesity and chronic disease.
Catherine realized the solution to the problem was education. She formed The Stone Soup Kitchen as a means to promote and understanding of basic nutrition, and instill healthy eating habits in homeless children. Of course, she knew it wouldn’t be an easy. She consulted with a consumer science teacher on how to make lesson plans, studied Spanish to better understand the immigrant kids, and took leadership classes to improve her own shy demeanor. Her program has formed partnerships with local grocers to offset the cost of materials, and worked with the Mass Medical Society to teach kids the importance of clean food preparation.
There have also been numerous fundraisers to help cover the cost of the program, including a “Change The World” campaign, collecting spare change from friends and family. In the classroom, she has made nutrition fun by making sure that the lessons corresponded with the kid’s interests.
During Halloween she used skeletons to emphasize the importance of calcium and strong bones; carrots were food for reindeers at Christmas; dinosaurs chowed down on broccoli trees between arts and crafts project; and the kids even got a special visit from the New England Patriots to teach them the importance of diet and exercise. Catherine’s efforts have done more than just give homeless kids a lesson in nutrition. They have made them excited about it. They have given them a sense of ownership about their own health, and a sense of responsibility about their well-being.
Abigail Groff
Abigail Groff unites women across generations. Through her work as chapter president for Stanford University’s GlamourGals chapter, Abigail inspires and organizes her peers to maintain ongoing relationships with women at a local senior citizen home.
GlamourGals is a national nonprofit that seeks to end elder loneliness by organizing girls to provide facials, makeovers and manicures to the elderly female residents of nursing homes. The makeovers are an avenue for the collegiate women and their partners at the home to become friends.
Abigail shares, “Many nursing home residents feel lonely—our goal is to alleviate this loneliness and show these fantastic women that we really do care about their lives. We are interested in who they are and what their lives have held. It is so cool to sit down with a woman in her 80’s or 90’s who can tell you all about life in the 1940’s and how boys behaved back then, or how her career life was affected by the times. We have so much to learn from these women, and they are so willing to share.”
Abigail is passionate about GlamourGals because of the friendships formed across generations and the ability this program has to make women who struggled with loneliness feel beautiful and alive. She constantly thinks of ways to improve programming, recruit new volunteers, and make GlamourGals a more attractive experience for everyone. She coordinates makeover dates with the nursing home, organizes and mobilizes volunteers and secures in-kind donations with local businesses to make sure GlamourGals has the supplies necessary for a successful event.
Abigail’s nominee shared, “Abigail is unique because she not only gives residents complimentary makeovers, but she makes her visit with them an experience they will never forget. Abigail doesn't just complete makeovers, but she creates friendships that span generations.”
Adam Brody
Recruiting volunteers for a non-profit event can be a daunting task for even the most seasoned professional. However, when Adam Brady stepped into the role of the new volunteer director the Special Olympics GA, he didn’t have the experience of his fellow committee members to aid him. What he did have was professionalism, determination, and a goal to help make the Special Olympics GA Fall Games a successful event.
Held in Statesboro, GA, the Special Olympics GA Fall Games is a 3-day event where people with intellectual disabilities can have fun and compete in a variety of activities. In recent years, the event has grown to include over 2000 participates, and requires the aid of over 1000 volunteers. Determined for success, Adam sprang into action, recruiting volunteers from Statesboro, both volunteers and other community groups in the area. Next, he created a Facebook Group to further recruit volunteers, and promote the event. However, Adam’s work didn’t stop there.
During the Fall Games, Adam showed initiative, not only organizing and scheduling the 1000 volunteers he recruited for the weekend, but actively looking for ways to help his fellow management team members make sure the games ran smoothly. He took charge during the Fall Games, bringing a sense of relief to his fellow organizers, volunteers, and the participants. Through Adam’s efforts, the Special Olympics GA Fall Games has grown into a very successful program. Adam reminds his fellow volunteers that “the ocean is a mass of individual drops” and through our united efforts we have the ability to make waves of positive change for our communities.
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.
After attending several plantings around the Los Angeles area, he developed a service project for his Eagle Scout award. Jacob partnered with the Wilmington Recreational Center and treepeople.org and developed a project that incorporated 41 volunteers in the planting of 18 trees (3 more than originally projected) in a day-long project last March. He has since returned both on his own and with arborists from Treepeople.org on several occasions to maintain the saplings.
At fourteen years old, Jacob has an empathy and understanding of the world around him that is far beyond his years. He relates well to children and adults, as evidenced by his management of 41 volunteers of all ages that day in the accomplishment of his tree-planting project. He provided food, drinks with his own funds and all the necessary tools and amazed the group with his vision and focus to complete the job and make it fun. His love for the environment is obvious as is the fact that he is a caring and mature young man.
Jacob’s project helped beautify a park and recreation center in a depressed economic area of Los Angeles and encourage others more than twice his age to follow his lead.
Breanna McGowan
Breanna McGowan has the heart of a missionary. While volunteering at Outreach orphanage in Ghana for Projects Aboard, she genuinely cared for the children. She wondered how much more improved their futures would be if they only had the resources, and even spent her souvenir money on food for the orphanage. Therefore, when she returned to the United States, she had a goal: to make a tangible difference.
Breanna’s work in Ghana inspired her to start a foundation called All’s God Children Got Shoes, which sends school supplies and shoes to the children in Ghana. Her community supports Breanna’s foundation, organizing a shoe drive and car wash to help out All God’s Children Got Shoes. Having purchased 29 pairs of shoes, backpacks and school supplies for the 57 orphans, she intends to make a return trip to Ghana in the summer of 2010.
With her efforts, Breanna has collected food cans for needy families, and she donned facemasks, rubber boots and overalls to rebuild homes. She addresses the needs of ordinary people by doing extraordinary things. Through her actions, Breanna has not only had an impact on the children in Ghana, but she has also encouraged other teenagers in her community to give to those in need.
All God’s Children Got Shoes has raised $600 in candy sales for Outreach orphanage in Ghana. Additionally, Breanna will continue helping the children in Ghana by assisting them with college applications and information on universitites in the United States. Breanna’s willingness to go out of her way to help others speaks volumes to how much she wishes to change these children’s lives for the better.
Kittie Caston
With a smile on her face, Kittie Caston happily accepts whatever challenges are before her, and she embraces others for their abilities, not disabilities. Why? Being deaf taught Kittie to be non-judgmental and give people with disabilities the opportunity to shine.
Wanting others to have that chance at a normal life, Kittie’s 30 years of volunteer service with the Special Olympics in Georgia helps individuals with disabilities learn discipline, team camaraderie and self-confidence. Enlarging the athletic participation, number of coaches and variety of sports available to athletes are only a few of Kittie’s accomplishments. As Head of Delegation on the Special Olympic Games committee, Kittie helped bring athletes to state competitions held in Georgia. Her leadership and managerial skills smoothed the coordination of volunteers, athletes, coaches, and equipment and much more during the Games.
The Cobb County schools in Georgia do not participate in the Special Olympics, so volunteers, like Kittie, use the Parks and Recreation Department’s therapeutic program to offer sports training for special needs individuals. Over 200 people without disabilities compete together with disabled individuals in the Unified Sports program in events, such as basketball, ice-skating, bocce, and volleyball. Moreover, Kittie participates in these games with the athletes not just as a coach or mentor, but also as a teammate.
Special Olympics competitions give self-confidence, life skills and a network of friends. With her giving nature, Kittie helped the program grow from just 14 participants to 475 athletes through volunteer and participant recruitment. This enables all uniforms, equipment, and training and travel expenses to be free of charge. Living with a disability, Kittie wants for others to take pride in expressing themselves. Every year she aims to give back the joy and patience the athletes have taught her, a testament to her selflessness.
Nicole Muller
Any other ordinary 16-year-old high school junior would be more worried about other tasks like what to wear to prom or what college to apply to. But Nicole Muller is no ordinary 16-year-old high school junior. Founder of the Neighbors-4-Neighbors food drive (fall 2009), Nicole has help fill a depleted food bank in Charlottesville, Virginia while maintaining a GPA of 3.96 (out of a 4-point scale) and taking AP and Honor classes.
What began as a small email campaign to get her 13 neighbors to donate 220 pounds of non-perishable food had quickly turned into a food drive to reach a ton of food, an eventual goal of 10,000 pounds. Her efforts resulted in nearly 18,000 pounds (9 tons) of food being donated to food banks across the nation. Nicole’s efforts through Neighbors-4-Neighbors have served over 14,000 meals to needy neighbors with a goal of getting all 50 states to participate with the organization in ending hunger.
Currently 30 of those 50 states are actively involved in strategically putting an end to hunger with help from their local government. Her food drive has even reached states as far as Alaska. As a result, Nicole has won Virginia’s only food award donation from the Paul Newman charitable foundation for Chartottesville’s local food bank and has spurred media attention in an effort to spread the word to further ending the hunger crisis in America.
As she comes to the end of her high school career, Nicole’s passion and drive has not stopped or wavered. Nicole is planning to make Neighbors-4-Neighbors an annual fall food drive event in an effort to continue to end hunger. Through her efforts, Nicole has driven community involvement from people of all ages like the 7-year-old girl in her local community or the 93-year-old-senior in another state.
Neha Gupta
At a very young age, Neha Gupta learned of the needs of underprivileged children. Embracing her heritage, she spent each birthday giving food and gifts to orphans in India while visiting her grandparents. By age nine, Neha was distraught to learn the orphans lacked the means to acquire proper education. Understanding the importance of an education and a supportive family to guide one through life, she turned her empathy for the children into action. A mere 13 years old, Neha created Empower Orphans, a non-profit organization that uses several fund-raising methods to collect money for underprivileged and orphaned children and provide them with opportunities for education and an improved quality of life.
Beginning with a garage sale of her toys, Neha’s fund-raising efforts blossomed, and eventually expanded to making and selling wine charms and participating in craft fairs. She traveled door to door in her community to help make an impact on other children’s lives. Her passion to help others was so contagious that her classmates also helped her raise money for her organization.
Observing the need to improve education, Empower Orphans started a library in 2006 at an Indian orphanage in the hometown of Neha’s grandparents. Two hundred children received stationery and 20 older children now have trade books from which they can learn to be self-sufficient. Additionally, nutritious food, warm clothes, blankets and footwear were provided to the children to brave the treacherous winters in northern India. She extended her caring spirit further, helping improve education for 360 underprivileged students of Shree Geeta Public School. Ten of the older girls can now become seamstresses and develop independence with their new sewing machines. More so, Neha sponsored 10 children’s education and single-headedly organized dental and eye exams for the 360 children.
From Neha’s efforts, she has managed to raise $14,000 for Empower Orphans. She recently received the Gold Level of the President’s Volunteer Service Award, and accepted second prize in 2008 for Wachovia Corporation’s “Who Would You Thank” national award. Neha’s goal for 2010 is to raise $20,000 to start a library for Shree Geeta Public School, support a center for 35 hearing and speech impaired children and build a vocation-training center for older children. An inspiration and role model for other young teenagers, Neha’s philanthropic accomplishments at such a young age are to be commended.
Grant Reed
A Mobile Health Clinic Manned by Med Students Hits the Streets of Illinois
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.
A large segment of Grant’s community has limited access to healthcare services. Fortunately, since the creation of IMSS, over 250 individuals lacking healthcare coverage have been tested for hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol and subsequently referred to local free medical clinics for further treatment.
Grant Reed was instrumental to this organization's creation, the solicitation of funding, the recruitment of his peers to assist the cause, and the creation of a training program. Grant has brought together community health organizations, public health departments, and university student organizations for a common goal. Since the creation of IMSS, Grant has scheduled and supervised eighteen free-screening events in five cities throughout Champaign County. He plans to continue with eight events for an estimated 150 individuals per academic semester.
This past May, Grant graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular & Cellular Biology and a minor in Chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. But his service will continue on. He plans to become a physician serving a rural or underserved community and he intends to serve future patients with the same care and dedication he has demonstrated through the founding of the Illini Medical Screening Society.
