Kindness Challenge: challenging teens to make the world a better place
On this day, the same day we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, a man with vision and an understanding of the power of our youth, Rachael Ray and USA Today are working together to create the Kindness Challenge. On her show today celebrity chef Rachael Ray introduced us to five young volunteers from the youth action organization DoSomething.org, who will have six weeks to reach their philanthropic goals of working to make the world around them a better place.
[Jan 16]
The good news is that the Kindness Challenge kicks off today, you can watch as the participants will be documenting and tracking the progress of their programs with updates on www.kindnesschallenge.usatoday.com. Public voting for the challenge will begin January 21 and end February 28 with the winner announced on March 14 through USA Today and on the Rachael Ray show, a FOOD network cooking show.
“I am so excited about the USA TODAY Kindness Challenge! Whether you live in a big city or a small town, it’s important to find a way to give back that is meaningful to you. I hope that by sharing stories through the Kindness Challenge, people will be motivated to give back and get involved in their own community. It’s always so inspiring to see kids step up to the plate and help out others in their own special way.”
_Rachael Ray
The Kindness Challenge participants are:
Kylie Kuhns with Kelsey’s Dream:
” I was eight years old when I started my project. If an eight year old can do it, anybody can.”
_Kylie Kuhns
Kylie’s sister has battled Leukemia throughout childhood. Realizing the fear that children have about the medical treatments and chemotherapy, Kylie wants to give Gabe’s Chemo Ducks to every child on the Eastern Coast battling cancer. The Chemo Duck is a 12” soft therapy tool which mirrors the child’s body during chemotherapy. Dressed in hospital pajamas and a bandanna, the Chemo Duck is available with a port or hickman catheter and an arm immobilizer.
Lizzie Marie Likness with Tasty Tidbits: Educating Today for a Healthier Tomorrow:
Lizzie opened a culinary business baking and selling all-natural treats at her local farmer’s market and created a website to teach young people ways to cook healthier foods in an effort to curb child obesity in her area.
Adin Lykken with Woofin’ & Hoofin’:
Adin is organizing Puppy Palooza, a concert organized to expand fundraising for the Dupage County Animal Shelter. The goal of the concert, and other Woofin’ & Hoofin’ events is to help the thousands of animals that suffer abuse every day.
Allison Nguyen with Iced Capades Cakery:
Allison bakes and donates cupcakes to local homeless shelters, while hosting birthday parties for children whose parents might not otherwise be able to have a party. http://www.dosomething.org/project/iced-capades-cakery
Jason Shah with INeedAPencil.com:
Jason created a free online tutoring system designed to help underprivileged youth prepare for the SAT in preparation for college admissions. INeedAPencil.com has helped more than 30,000 students increase their SAT scores by an average of 200 points.
DoSomething.org hopes to stimulate two million young people to become involved in 2011. DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the United States to help young people work for the causes they care about.
