Third Annual Hasbro Community Action Hero Awards Recognize Youth Service Leaders From Across the United States
"These young leaders are not only committed to volunteering in their own
lives, but are also working hard to set positive examples and encourage
service among their friends, schools, families and communities," said
GenerationOn, the youth enterprise of
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Zachary Certner (Morristown, New Jersey , age 15) is the leader of SNAP (Special Needs Athletic Programs), a master motivator and a tireless advocate for special needs families. In 2011, SNAP provided more than 3,000 hours of service to the community through its sports clinics program. Most recently, SNAP has begun to provide sensitivity training to promote a culture of acceptance. -
Maryam Farooq (Bellrose,New York , age 14) is a student leader who broughtNo Place for Hate (sponsored by theAnti-Defamation League ), a nationally recognized anti-bullying program, to her school. In a role normally reserved for a teacher or administrator, Maryam organized and led student assemblies and staff and student workshops on the signs of bullying and how to deal with bullying. -
Nimansha Jain (
Omaha, Nebraska , age 16) uses her unique sense of logical reasoning to find intricate solutions to problems in her community. Merging her passions for volunteering and public health, Nimansha founded theGrandfather Youth Task Force . It was after her grandfather's death due to Alzheimer's disease that she looked back at the memories she shared with him, and was inspired to begin volunteering with theVisiting Nurses Association , making weekly visits to a hospice patient suffering from dementia. -
Cassandra Lin (Westerly, Rhode Island , age 13) is the co-founder of Project T.G.I.F. - Turn Grease Into Fuel - a sustainable system that collects waste cooking oil (WCO) from residents and restaurants, refines it into biodiesel (a clean-burning, alternative energy), and distributes it to families in need. Project T.G.I.F. has distributed 5,300 flyers, 3,500 promotional calendars, made more than 40 presentations and visited more than 500 restaurants to ask the owners to donate their grease. They also drafted a bill to mandate WCO recycling for businesses inRhode Island , which went into effect onJanuary 1, 2012 . -
Will Lourcey (Fort Worth, Texas , age 9) saw a man on a street corner carrying a sign that read "Need a Meal" and brought together a group of friends to volunteer at a local food bank, where they packed 6,000 backpacks with food for kids at risk of hunger. This was the start of FROGs: Friends Reaching Our Goals. Will's next action was a sports-based program called Hits & Kicks Against Hunger. All money collected went to theTarrant Area Food Bank . -
Nina Mahalingam (Nashua, New Hampshire , age 8) started volunteering when she was barely three years old. Last year, Nina co-led "Wish Upon a Crane" campaigns in malls and also rallied youth worldwide (with help from family) using the Internet. Children from 12 countries responded by folding over 9,000 paper cranes and raising$18,000 to help victims of the 2011 Japanese earthquake.
The Hasbro Community Action Hero Awards are an integral part of Hasbro's
ongoing partnership with generationOn. As its founding partner,
"GenerationOn is dedicated to providing young people with the tools they
need to become leaders, community activists and compassionate, global
citizens," said
About generationOn
GenerationOn is the global youth service movement igniting the power of all kids to make their mark on the world. As Points of Light's youth service enterprise, generationOn inspires, equips and mobilizes youth to take action through generationOn service clubs, schools, youth organizations, campaigns and youth leadership initiatives. It also provides tools and resources to youth, families and educators to help kids change the world and themselves through service. To learn more about how to get involved, visit www.generationon.org.
About
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or
For
generationOn
rkraus@generationon.org
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