2009 AMBASSADORS OF CARING LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Madeline Bardi, 10th grade, Merion Mercy Academy
After learning about the genocide in Darfur, Madeline was inspired to raise awareness among her peers. Knowing that one way to gain their interest was through fashion, she created the “Hate Is Out of Style – Save Darfur” t-shirt campaign. In the second year of her project, Madeline has created two new designs and expanded her project to increase awareness in her school and community. To date, she has raised over $3,000 for the Save Darfur Foundation.
Kara Edman, 9th grade, Hannah Rose Nussbaum, 9th grade, Rebecca Nussbaum, 11th grade and Jade Rest, 9th grade, Radnor High School
As Ambassadors of Caring, Kara, Hannah, Becky and Jade felt that it was important to teach the next generation the lessons about respect, caring, compassion and responsibility that they had learned through Champions of Caring. They created an anti-bullying program and designed a workbook to teach the virtues of a Champion to elementary school students in their local religious school.
Noreen Neal, 11th grade, Friends Central
As the daughter of survivors of the Cambodian genocide, Noreen is passionate about addressing corruption in the Cambodian education system. Understanding that this is an overwhelming issue to tackle, she decided to focus her project on providing resources directly to Cambodian students. She partnered with the Cambodian Education Excellence Foundation to build an environmentally friendly computer lab for a rural Cambodian school that currently has no access to technology. Visit Noreen's website at: http://cambodianecolab.com/help.php
Chelsea Pasahow, 11th grade, Friends Central
Chelsea is the founder of the Philadelphia branch of “Becca’s Closet,” a not-for-profit organization that has collected and distributed prom dresses to thousands of girls who cannot afford to purchase their own. This year, given the difficult economic times, Chelsea has found that more and more young women are in need of her dresses, and is committed to providing all of her peers with the opportunity to “feel like a princess for a night.”
Stama Eleazar, 12th grade, Fels High School
When a faculty member at his school was diagnosed with breast cancer, Stama was motivated to address this issue. He wanted to change the perception of breast cancer as strictly a women’s disease, and educate men who might have family members and friends who suffer from the illness or may be at risk themselves. He started an awareness and fundraising campaign geared towards males in his school.
Nathan Dorfman, 12th grade, Central High School
Nathan has been an Ambassador of Caring for three years, and is deeply committed to supporting our troops, veterans and their families. After working for several years on the Silly String Campaign, Nathan started a new project to raise funds for the Fisher House at the Walter Reed Medical Center, which provides housing and resources to the families of injured veterans while they are receiving medical treatment. This year, with the support of the School District of Philadelphia, Nathan has expanded this project to high schools citywide. In the fall, Nathan will attend George Mason University on a Community Service Scholarship.
Seth Feldman, 10th grade, Lower Merion High School
Over the past three years, Seth has collected hundreds of toiletries from local hotels and community members and delivered them to his community partner, the Ronald McDonald House. Seth has eased the stress of many families of sick children by providing them with essential items that they may need during their stay at Ronald McDonald House.
Rayma Garcia, 11th grade, the Baldwin School, Sarah Martino, 12th grade and Amanda Peed, 12th grade, Mercy Vocational High School
Rayma, Sarah and Amanda collaborated to organize an event for victims of domestic violence. They partnered with a local women’s shelter and Mercy Vocational High School to host a Day of Beauty and self-esteem workshops for women who had suffered from abuse, and provided them with gift baskets from community partners. Their goal is to establish this as an annual event at Mercy Vocational High School.
Claire Geruson, 12th grade, Mount Saint Joseph Academy
Claire established the “Attitude of Gratitude” project at LaSalle Academy, a small Catholic school in North Philadelphia for students from low income families. By educating seventh graders about social justice issues and engaging them in service projects, including creating a Peace mosaic in the school, “Miss Claire” taught her students the meaning of the phrase “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Claire will attend Boston College in the fall, where she plans to continue to lead her peers in service.
Baye Kane, 11th grade, Bartram High School
Concerned with the violence that she witnessed in her community, Baye organized a cell phone drive in her school to benefit victims of domestic abuse. Unused cell phones are collected and distributed to women who are victims of abuse to provide them with a way to get help in case of an emergency.
Mickey Kelly, 12th grade, Mercy Vocational High School
As a board member for Generation Life, Mickey is committed to reducing teen pregnancy in his community by educating both young men and women about making healthy and responsible choices. Throughout the year, Mickey has organized school and community events to raise awareness among his peers.
Erica Lipoff, 10th grade, Harriton High School
This spring, Erica traveled to Mali, Africa, with an organization called Build On to assist with the groundbreaking and construction of a new school. An avid photographer, she documented her trip on film and created a presentation to educate elementary school students about her experience. Erica is committed to raising awareness about global poverty.
Laura Okwueze, 10th grade, Radnor High School
Laura is committed to improving healthcare in Africa. Through her church in her hometown of the Bronx, New York, she has established a fundraising campaign to provide supplies to health centers in Nigeria.
Austin Rapkin-Citrenbaum, 9th grade, Lower Merion High School
Inspired by a family friend who was tragically paralyzed, Austin founded the “Kids Tri to Help,” an annual youth triatholon to raise awareness and funds for paralysis research. All sponsorship and donations from this event go to the Buoniconti Fund and the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Through Ambassadors of Caring, he has expanded his outreach to community partners.
Sarah Weingarten, 11th grade, Friends Central
Sarah has a passion for tennis that she is eager to share with people who do not typically have an opportunity to participate in the sport. Partnering with the United States Tennis Association and the Adaptive Tennis program, Sarah organized a tennis clinic for disabled adults and children.