Youth Voices, a key extension of NorthFork’s Collective Voices was created to “connect young people who are making a difference with others who want to!” Be sure to follow us on Twitter, and we’d LOVE it if you would take a few minutes to engage us on Facebook! Don’t forget to ‘LIKE’ us!

Maddie’s expression of love through leadership is brought to you by Mark, a driving force behind NorthFork’s Youth Voices! (A portion of this story is courtesy of Kids Are Heroes.)

Maddie’s Story
via Mark McKinney (Pasadena, California)

Twelve-year-old Maddie Hutchinson is more concerned with bringing others happiness than herself. For her 12th birthday, she asked everyone to bring donations for ‘A Kid Again‘ foundation instead of bringing gifts for her. It was all her own idea and she handled everything on her own. She contacted the director to find out how to handle getting and turning in the donations and from there wrote a note in the invitations explaining to her friends what she was doing and why. Maddie is featured at Kids Are Heroes!

The Dayton Daily News reported her story:

At 12 years old, Maddie Hutchinson is already making a difference in the lives of others.

For her 12th birthday, the Fairborn girl asked her guests to skip the presents and instead bring donations for A Kid Again, (formerly Adventures for Wish Kids) an organization that sponsors fun outings for children with life threatening illnesses.

It was her way of thanking the organization that helped her late sister, Grace, and the rest of the Hutchinson family, which includes her parents, Derek and Melanie, and her 4–year-old brother, Carter.

“My little sister, Grace, was diagnosed with cancer when she was 10 months and, through her life, A Kid Again did many things for her to help her get out and do stuff that she normally wouldn’t be able to do,” Maddie said, remembering her sister, who passed away in 2006 at the age of 3.
“They have been so great to our family, and I wanted to give back for all they’ve done for us.”

“For me, it’s much more important to give back to kids who really need the money than for me to get gifts that I don’t need,” said the seventh grader at Baker Middle School.

While surprised by her request, her friends were supportive.

Her proud mother wasn’t surprised by the idea. “She has always been such a compassionate kid. I think it is a wonderful thing when children can look beyond their own happiness, and see the happiness they can bring others,” Melanie Hutchinson said.

A few days after her party, Maddie gave $300 to A Kid Again!

Youth Voices, a key extension of NorthFork’s Collective Voices was created to “connect young people who are making a difference with others who want to!” Be sure to follow us on Twitter, and we’d LOVE it if you would take a few minutes to engage us on Facebook! Don’t forget to ‘LIKE’ us!

Margot’s remarkable story of love and leadership is brought to you by Mark, a driving force behind NorthFork’s Youth Voices!

Margot’s Story
via Mark McKinney (Pasadena, California)

Margot Maritz created a website regarding deforestation, dedicated to the United Nations Year of Forests 2011, where she educates others about the consequences of deforestation. She started a recycling chain and persuaded a local store to keep stocking soda in glass bottles. Margot is the first “Junior Ambassador” for Kids are Heroes which means she is tasked with raising awareness about the organization in her area, and using her skills to help in any way she can. She will start by trying to get kids at her own high school involved. She is a very talented young graphic artist, and has created some wonderful posters for Kids Are Heroes that will be highlighted at their annual event in October. Margot is a compassionate girl always helping the less fortunate and helping other kids with their problems.

(this story is courtesy of Kids Are Heroes.)

Youth Voices, a key extension of NorthFork’s Collective Voices was created to “connect young people who are making a difference with others who want to!” Be sure to follow us on Twitter, and we’d LOVE it if you would take a few minutes to engage us on Facebook! Don’t forget to ‘LIKE’ us!

Ethan’s remarkable story of love and leadership is brought to you by Mark, a driving force behind NorthFork’s Youth Voices!

Ethan’s Story
via Mark McKinney (Pasadena, California)

Ethan Cruikshank has a long history of giving back in his community, starting when he was just 5 years old when he joined the local YMCA Indian Guides. At first, the projects were small like dinners for the local firemen or working at the nearby Food Bank. But, over time, he became involved in larger projects, that he led, like a literacy drive for the YMCA after-school program that benefited two local elementary schools with donations of over 600 books. These experiences only proved to be the start of his love and dedication of helping others and being a mentor for other children to look up to.

In 2009, at the age of 10 and when he was participating in his public schools Strings Program, it was announced that because of economic budget cuts the Strings Program was being cut from the elementary school curriculum. Ethan and his older brother had benefited from this program over the years both played the viola and guitar outside of school. He knew how important music as a resource class was to introducing the Arts to children. He thought he could do something about this and he had many friends that were musicians and as concerned about what was happening.

In the fall of 2009 he launched his own music program for elementary children in our county called Music To My Ears. He recruits middle and high school experienced musicians to teach elementary children weekly music lessons for free throughout the school year. So far 34 children have been involved in the program and there are 11 children signed up for the third session that begins in September of 2011 and goes until May 2012! They teach guitar, piano and violin but are always looking for additional instruments to add to what they can offer to the children. Ethan hopes to continue his project for many years to come, as well as helping others start a music program in their community since he has recently met so many others where budget cuts are also happening in their community.

As a result of his efforts he was named Virginia’s middle level 2011 winner of The Prudential Spirit of Community Award. Also, named one of the 16 Under 16 children by Style Magazine for his community service, leadership and academic excellence and later featured in their “Giving Magazine” insert. He has received the President’s Volunteer Service Award and a special Commendation from the Senate of Virginia.

George Catlin appreciated the beauty in others. From his official biography:

“George Catlin was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Following a brief career as a lawyer, he produced two major collections of paintings of American Indians and published a series of books chronicling his travels among the native peoples of North, Central and South America. Claiming his interest in America’s ‘vanishing race’ was sparked by a visiting American Indian delegation in Philadelphia, he set out to record the appearance and customs of America’s native people.

… [in 1832, Catlin] visited eighteen tribes, including the Pawnee, Omaha, and Ponca in the south and the Mandan, Cheyenne, Crow, Assiniboine, and Blackfeet to the north. There, at the edge of the frontier, he produced the most vivid and penetrating portraits of his career. … The French critic Charles Baudelaire remarked on Catlin’s paintings, ‘M. Catlin has captured the proud, free character and noble expression of these splendid fellows in a masterly way.’”

Impressed by “a delegation of some ten or fifteen noble and dignified-looking Indians” (Plains Indians) from a little-known part of the country, Catlin vowed “the history and customs of such a people … are themes worthy of the life-time of one man, and nothing short of the loss of my life, shall prevent me from visiting their country, and becoming their historian. … for the benefit of posterity, and perpetuating it, as a fair and just monument, to the memory of a truly lofty and noble race …”

George Catlin’s Creed I love a people … ¤ that have always made me welcome to the very best that they had. ¤ who are honest without laws, who have no jails and no poorhouses. ¤ who keep the commandments without ever having read or heard them preached from the pulpit. ¤ who never swear or take the name of God in vain. ¤ “who love their neighbors as they love themselves.” ¤ who worship God without a Bible, for I believe that God loves them also. ¤ whose religion is all the same, and who are free from religious animosities. ¤ who have never raised a hand against me, or stolen my property, when there was no law to punish either. ¤ who have never fought a battle with the white man, except on their own ground. ¤ who live and keep what is their own without lock and keys. ¤ who do the best they can. And oh how I love a people who don’t live for the love of money.

“I love and don’t fear mankind where God has made and left them, for they are his children.” ~George Catlin

Youth Voices, a key extension of NorthFork’s Collective Voices was created to “connect young people who are making a difference with others who want to!” Be sure to follow us on Twitter, and we’d LOVE it if you would take a few minutes to engage us on Facebook! Don’t forget to ‘LIKE’ us!

Abby is changing our world! Her story of giving is brought to you by Mark, a driving force behind NorthFork’s Youth Voices!

Abby’s Story
via Mark McKinney (Pasadena, California)

Abby Schlegl spends many hours a week designing original artwork to sell on t-shirts available on her website, Creations by Abby. 100% of the profits from her t-shirt sales go to benefiting Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital (in St. Louis, Missouri). Abby has a passion for helping other children and making a positive difference in our world. Abby always has a smile on her face no matter what life throws at her. She wore leg braces due to tendon problems when she was younger and, despite her leg braces, she got her first degree black belt.

Abby was tragically thrown off a horse and fractured her back. She had to wear a back brace for many months and do physical therapy but, instead of feeling sad or frustrated, she started to bring art and crafts to recess (while sitting on the bench watching kids play) and soon other kids would come over to draw with her. Abby was blessed to be completely healed over time and she went on to complete her second degree black belt AND start her own website to help other children. She used her passion for art to make a difference! Abby has overcome much (leg braces, fractured back, broken hand (P.E. injury), broken nose (basketball injury) turning all of it into a positive giving heart.

Abby is always kind (the first thing people say about her is how kind and caring she is). Abby is my hero and I am so proud of her … she is always thinking of helping others and changing our world!

(This story is courtesy of Kids Are Heroes.)

Rachel’s Last Fund-Raiser
by Nicholas Kristof

[Today’s post was originally published in the NYTimes Opinion Pages on August 10, 2011.]

[Many young people] believe, in a wonderfully earnest way, in creating a better world.

In the midst of this grim summer, my faith in humanity has been restored by the saga of Rachel Beckwith. She could teach my generation a great deal about maturity and unselfishness — even though she’s just 9 years old, or was when she died on July 23.

Rachel lived outside Seattle and early on showed a desire to give back. At age 5, she learned at school about an organization called Locks of Love, which uses hair donations to make wigs for children who have lost their own hair because of cancer or other diseases. Rachel then asked to have her long hair shorn off and sent to Locks of Love. “She said she wanted to help the cancer kids,” her mother, Samantha Paul, told me. After the haircut, Rachel announced that she would grow her hair long again and donate it again after a few years to Locks of Love. And that’s what she did.

Then when she was 8 years old, her church began raising money to build wells in Africa through an organization called charity:water. Rachel was aghast when she learned that other children had no clean water, so she asked to skip having a ninth birthday party. In lieu of presents, she asked her friends to donate $9 each to charity:water for water projects in Africa.

Rachel’s ninth birthday was on June 12, and she had set up a birthday page on the charity:water Web site with a target of $300. Alas, Rachel was able to raise only $220 — which had left her just a bit disappointed.

Then, on July 20, as Rachel was riding with her family on the highway, two trucks collided and created a 13-car pileup. Rachel’s car was hit by one of the trucks, and although the rest of her family was unhurt, Rachel was left critically injured.

Church members and friends, seeking some way of showing support, began donating on Rachel’s birthday page — charitywater.org/Rachel — and donations surged past her $300 goal, and kept mounting. As family and friends gathered around Rachel’s bedside, they were able to tell her — even not knowing whether she could hear them — that she had exceeded the $47,544 that the singer Justin Bieber had raised for charity:water on his 17th birthday.

“I think she secretly had a crush on him, but she would never admit it,” her mom said. “I think she would have been ecstatic.”

When it was clear that Rachel would never regain consciousness, the family decided to remove life support. Her parents donated her hair a final time to Locks of Love, and her organs to other children. Word spread about Rachel’s last fund-raiser.

Contributions poured in, often in $9 increments, although one 5-year-old girl sent in the savings in her piggy bank of $2.27. The total donations soon topped $100,000, then $300,000. Like others, I was moved and donated. As I write this, more than $850,000 has been raised from all over the world, including donations from Africans awed by a little American girl who cared about their continent.

“What has been so inspiring about Rachel is that she has taught the adults,” said Scott Harrison, the founder of charity:water. “Adults are humbled by the unselfishness of this little girl.”

Yet this is a story not just of one girl, but of a generation of young people working creatively to make this a better world. Mr. Harrison is emblematic of these young people. Now 35, he established charity:water when he was 30, and it has taken off partly because of his mastery at social media. (He’s not as experienced in well-drilling, so the wells are actually dug by expert groups like International Rescue Committee.)

Youth activism has a long history, but this ethos of public service is on the ascendant today — and today’s kids don’t just protest against injustices, as my contemporaries did, but many are also remarkable problem-solvers.

As for Ms. Paul, she’s planning a trip on the anniversary of her daughter’s death next year to see some of the wells being drilled in Africa in her daughter’s name. “It’ll be overwhelming to see Rachel’s wells,” she said, “to see what my 9-year-old daughter has done for people all over the world, to meet the people she has touched.”

[As of this posting, Rachel has raised $1,186,208 for clean water projects that will serve approximately 60,000 people!]

Youth Voices, a key extension of NorthFork’s Collective Voices was created to “connect young people who are making a difference with others who want to!” Be sure to follow us on Twitter, and we’d LOVE it if you would take a few minutes to engage us on Facebook! Don’t forget to ‘LIKE’ us!

As you may recall, our beautiful friend, Nisha Varghese, recently shared Hannah’s story with us. This week, Mark thought it would be a great idea to properly introduce you to Nisha! The rest of us couldn’t agree more!

Nisha Varghese
via Mark McKinney (Pasadena, California)

Nisha Varghese is from East London, South Africa. Nisha says she is most happy when she is helping others. On March 5th, 2010, Nisha started a campaign called Clean Water for All. At firstgiving.com, she accepts donations to support The Water Project which strives to give clean water to all who are in need. She also plans to build a well. Her goal is to raise $6,500 by March 5th, 2012. She has already raised over $4,500!

She was inspired to help others while she was watching an Oprah Winfrey special. The episode featured a young girl named Kendall Ciesemier who donated all her money to World Vision to “adopt” an orphan who was caught up in the AIDS epidemic in Africa. In 2004, Kendall founded an organization called Kids Caring 4 Kids “to raise money and awareness for AIDS orphans and other highly vulnerable kids in Africa AND to inspire kids to care for others in need.” This one show really inspired Nisha to stop thinking that the world owed her something. That motivated her to start the Clean Water for All project.

People around the globe admire Nisha’s compassion, her courage, and her leadership. In her willingness to serve others, Nisha shows us the greatest part of life — and leadership — is love!

Let us be the first to encourage you to follow her lead!

Youth Voices, a key extension of NorthFork’s Collective Voices was created to “connect young people who are making a difference with others who want to!” Be sure to follow us on Twitter, and we’d LOVE it if you would take a few minutes to engage us on Facebook! Don’t forget to ‘LIKE’ us!

My beautiful friend, Nisha, recently shared Hannah’s story with Mark, a driving force behind NorthFork’s Youth Voices. They quickly decided to share Hannah’s story with you! Her’s is the story of a servant’s heart. And it’s a great reminder leadership comes in all colors, shapes, and sizes because love comes in all colors, shapes, and sizes!

Hannah’s Story
via Nisha (East London, South Africa)

On a chilly Thanksgiving Day in 2004, 4-year-old Hannah Turner was helping serve dinner to the needy at Toledo’s Cherry Street Mission. In the middle of the hustle and bustle of doing her part to fill plates, she tugged on her mother Doris’ sweater. “Mommy, won’t his feet be cold?“

Hannah had focused on a man in line wearing shoes that had split open to reveal he had no socks on, and her small face reflected concern.

Doris tried to reassure her: “His shoes will keep his toes warm.” She didn’t know how they could help with all staff focused on the meal, and she didn’t want her daughter carrying a burden.

Hannah — too smart, too big of heart — was unconvinced.

“Mommy, he can have my socks,” she said.

That next day, Doris took Hannah to purchase and distribute socks to local shelters. They were able to collect and donate over 100 pairs around Toledo. Over two more years, and with amazing support from friends and family, they distributed nearly 10,000 total pairs of socks to partner shelters.

Doris and husband Vic quickly discovered that of all the materials donated to shelters, new socks and undergarments are given the least and needed the most. They created Hannah’s Socks with the goal of addressing that problem, and they need your help.

Learn how to make yourself part of this great story today:

Donate Socks
Donate Funds
Volunteer

As we ‘go to press’ with this post, we are very happy to report Hannah has collected 50,148 pairs of socks toward her goal of 200,000 pairs!

NorthFork’s Collective Voices was created to help all of us “lead with love through community-based action to create a world of ‘we!’” Like the stars adorning the quilted black night sky, the wisdom of Elbert Hubbard (1856 – 1915), an American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher, can help guide our way:

“The supreme prayer of my heart is not to be learned, rich, famous, powerful, or “good,” but simply to be radiant. I desire to radiate health, cheerfulness, calm courage and good will. I wish to live without hate, whim, jealousy, envy, fear. I wish to be simple, honest, frank, natural, clean in mind and clean in body, unaffected — ready to say “I do not know,” if it be so, and to meet all men on an absolute equality — to face any obstacle and meet every difficulty unabashed and unafraid. I wish others to live their lives, too — up to their highest, fullest and best. To that end I pray that I may never meddle, interfere, dictate, give advice that is not wanted, or assist when my services are not needed. If I can help people, I’ll do it by giving them a chance to help themselves; and if I can uplift or inspire, let it be by example, inference, and suggestion, rather than by injunction and dictation. That is to say, I desire to be radiant — to radiate life.”

Youth Voices, a key extension of NorthFork’s Collective Voices was created to “connect young people who are making a difference with others who want to!” Be sure to follow us on Twitter, and we’d LOVE it if you would take a few minutes to engage us on Facebook! Don’t forget to ‘LIKE’ us!

Today’s guest contributor, Suga Ray, is a believer in the power of our young people to make a lasting, positive difference in our world! There exists a Oneness in our world and Suga Ray does all he can to illuminate a world of ‘we.’ By his own account, Suga Ray is a “writer, philosopher, humanitarian, difference maker, servant leader, and world healer.” More to the point, he is a beautiful friend! Let me encourage you to support Suga Ray and his amazing work with inner city/urban youth. Through Youth Voices, it is our hope a great many like-minded and like-hearted friends join us! Please tell everyone you know about Youth Voices, and let them know we are here to help them, too, lead with love to create a world of ‘we!’

Numbers, Letters, & Words
by Suga Ray (Queens, New York)

I’ve released my tears through words
nouns, adjectives and verbs
someone somewhere smoking herb
look that man is on the curb
drunk & high
he’s lost his mind
maybe not
he could be fine
prolly found a place to rest
and deal with Self at his best
let us stop these judging thoughts
that is how the Truth is lost
just accept it as it is
u dont like it
give ur rib
make a change for these kids
so they have a place to live
to live in peace & live it free
when I’m gone
they will be me
thoughts so deep
that in my sleep
emotions rise
and touch my cheek
shifting shapes
to make some space
I Am here
without a face
lighting up inside of you
me in you it should be 2
but no its 1
ive just begun
my eyes cant see
i know i am
more than 3
less than 4
no pain no more
walkin up to heavens door
that is not just a shore
somethin more
like a spore
bursting out into a hive
then contracting into 5
so swift so slick
the number 6
in their minds
is playing tricks
fraternal twins
like kith and kin
nowhere near just a friend
the bread from heaven
extends from 7
the letter G
so stuck yet free
drifting to eternity
the number 8
controlling me
not confined
but sometimes blind
either or you know I’m fine
tryna catch a glimpse of time
but all I see is 9 9 9
thats my age yes 27
if u cant see I came from heaven
possibly u dont agree
ur eyes are open
but u cant see
but because I love u so
I will not even go
anywhere until I’m through
in your mind im turning blue
1 plus 0 equals 10
now go back and start again…………………