The Charitable Youth by Alex Opechowski
The Charitable Youth:
Success Stories of Kid-Funded Non-profit Organizations
by Alex Opechowski
The Lamplighter Feb 2010, Santa Catalina School, Monterey CA
It often seems as though the amount of charitable causes deserving of our attention is endless. There are bake sales and ribbons and marathons to benefit everything from cancer research to the Humane Society. With so many organizations vying for funding, the prospect of starting and maintaining a working charity appears a bit daunting. This is what makes the success of kid-funded non-profits all the more remarkable. With a few basic ideas and a genuine desire to make a difference, these children prove that the smallest of ideas can have the biggest of impacts.
An image instantly associated with kids raising money is that of the quintessential lemonade stand. It’s simple, it’s sentimental, and, for Alexandra “Alex” Scott, it was to be a means of raising funds for “her hospital” and all doctors seeking a cure for childhood cancer. At age 4—two years after being diagnosed—Alex opened her very first lemonade stand in her front yard, with the intention of raising $1 million. For the next four years of her life, she held an annual lemonade stand, determined to reach her goal. Though she collected a considerable amount of donations, she knew that the only way to really accomplish this would be to get other kids involved. At the same time that she held her final lemonade stand, thousands of volunteers nationwide did the same, far surpassing her goal. A few months later, on August 1, 2004, Alex passed away. Her dream of finding a cure is carried on through volunteers for her organization, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer, which has raised over $30 million, the majority of which was generated by lemonade stands run by kids in their front yards.
Another money-making resource available to most children and teens is the allowance they receive for completing chores. As 17-year-old Ilana Rothbein realized, volunteering full-time can be difficult for students trying to balance their homework and athletics throughout the school year. She decided to donate the money she earned babysitting to the FACES (Finding A Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures) Foundation. The idea of turning everyday chores and jobs into volunteer hours was, Ilana felt, a perfect way for busy teens to contribute. She began the Chores-for-Charity organization as a way to empower kids to volunteer by doing everyday work.
Craig Kielburger, 12 at the time, read an article about a Pakistani boy his age who was murdered for taking a stand against child labor in his country. Most people, he recognized, didn’t even know how difficult life could be for kids around the world, where issues of child labor, poverty, and insufficient resources still prevail. Craig decided that the only way to honor Iqbal’s memory was to carry out his cause. Along with a group of classmates, he began Free the Children, currently the world’s largest network of children helping each other through education and fundraising. Craig’s initial idea has grown immensely; his organization has founded more than 500 schools and water projects to needy communities worldwide. Free the Children sponsors an “Adopt A Village” program, wherein volunteers work with developing communities to bring them the funding, healthcare, water systems, and educational institutions they need. Although based in Craig’s hometown of Toronto, Canada, the organization has far reaching effects, proving that one small idea can have a huge outcome.
These organizations are a testament to the fact that the true essence of charity isn’t something grandiose or radical. It all begins with the little things, the simple acts of kindness that anyone can partake in. The ways in which these kids give back to their communities and commit their time to a cause, remind us that we can affect change locally and globally simply by sharing in the fundamental concept of compassion, exhibited so well by these individuals. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.“
Links to check out:
http://www.alexslemonade.org
http://www.choresforcharity.com
http://www.freethechildren.com
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