Good News: Kids Helping Kids

Started by a middle-school student named Katherine Eller, the fundraiser involved more than 250 lemonade stands, each run by local children. Over 1,500 gallons of lemonade were sold to help purchase toys, cribs, playground equipment, and emergency supplies.

"If I made their lives just a little better -- if I made a difference -- then all the hard work that all the kids put into selling lemonade was worthwhile," Eller said.

Eller, who attends Carver Middle School in Tulsa, was named one of the nation's top ten youth volunteers in Washington, D.C. when she received a Prudential Spirit of Community Award during the program's national recognition events. The awards program, created by the Prudential Insurance Company of America in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), recognizes middle-level and high school students across the country for outstanding, self-initiated community service.

"Katherine's was only one of thousands of outstanding volunteer projects considered in the program's first year, all of them inspiring examples of what young people today are capable of," said Prudential Vice President Robert Fallon.

While award recipients were recognized for a wide variety of community service activities, many of them were honored for working to help less fortunate children. Charles Kaiser of Clatskanie (Oregon) High School, for example, turned a statewide food bank for hungry kids into a national program. Eric Perlyn of Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, founded an organization that collects and distributes new shoes to disadvantaged youth throughout his state. Traci Taylor of Cape Girardeau (Missouri) Central Junior High School started a toy delivery service for young patients at Southeast Missouri Hospital after spending many long hours in the hospital herself for cancer treatment.

"By giving freely of themselves to help others in need, these remarkable young people have demonstrated that the spirit of community is alive and well in the next generation," said Prudential's Fallon. "We salute these young American heroes, and hope that their accomplishments will help persuade other students that they, too, can make a real difference in their communities."

Free Guide

To help spread the word about volunteer opportunities for youth, Prudential and the U.S. Department of Education have published a booklet, "Catch the Spirit -- A Student's Guide to Community Service." It's available free from the Consumer Information Center, Dept. 588C, Pueblo, Colo. 81009. (NAPSI)