New York State\'s Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 14th Annual National Awards Program
February 23rd, 2009
2009 FEB 23 -- Colin Leslie, 17, of Rye and Charlotte McKane, 13, of Oneonta today were named New York state's top two youth volunteers for 2009 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. The awards program, now in its 14th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
Colin was nominated by Rye High School in Rye, and Charlotte was nominated by Oneonta Middle School in Oneonta. As State Honorees, each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., where they will join the top two honorees – one middle level and one high school youth – from each of the other states and the District of Columbia for several days of national recognition events. Ten of them will be named America’s top youth volunteers for 2009 at that time. Colin, a junior at Rye High School, has raised more than $150,000 for the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University over the past three years by organizing an annual walkathon in his community. When he was 14, Colin began experiencing excruciating joint pain and migraine headaches. After four months of visits to many specialists, he was finally diagnosed with celiac disease, a genetic autoimmune disorder triggered by eating gluten from wheat, barley, or rye. The difficulty that doctors had in diagnosing his ailment convinced Colin that something needed to be done to increase awareness of celiac. He decided on a walkathon.
Colin contacted city officials, met with the police commissioner, and persuaded his school district to let him use his high school for the event. Then he obtained insurance, arranged for parking and shuttle buses, and began publicizing the walk by posting on blogs and websites, making posters, and contacting local support groups. About 1,000 people have come to the Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease each year, not only to walk and contribute, but also to attend education sessions conducted by doctors and nutritionists, and to enjoy a gluten-free food fair. One year’s event also featured a blood screening that diagnosed more than 60 people with celiac disease. “All of the money raised will go toward promoting awareness of celiac disease and research, so that one day a cure will hopefully be found,” said Colin. Charlotte, an eighth-grader at Oneonta Middle School, built a network of monthly donors that has enabled her to purchase more than $30,000 worth of needed supplies for organizations serving the disadvantaged in her community. Her project, called “Charlotte’s Circle,” began at age 5 when she and her grandfather spent time together wrapping loose change and then, at her father’s suggestion, used the money to buy hygiene items and cleaning supplies for people served by the Family Service Association in Oneonta.
Intrigued by the idea of helping others, Charlotte started setting aside part of her allowance and writing letters and making presentations to find additional donors. She asks her supporters to make a monthly donation, and every month she contacts charitable organizations such as the Violence Intervention Program Safe House and Catholic Charities Low Income Housing Program to determine what they need. She then goes shopping for the items, often persuading store managers to donate or discount their merchandise. After making her deliveries, Charlotte sends a detailed report to all of her donors documenting her purchases. More than 70 individuals and organizations have supported
Charlotte’s Circle, enabling her to buy $34,000 worth of supplies since 2003. “I don’t think I could be truly happy if I knew there were people living in extreme poverty and I did nothing to help them,” she said.
This article was prepared by Pain & Central Nervous System Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Pain & Central Nervous System Week via NewsRx.com.
