Kids Are Heroes is an organization founded by a then 9-year-old girl named Mary Margaret. The Kids Are Heros website empowers children to give back to their communities by showcasing those who are changing the world. The organization’s goal is to have volunteerism become an everyday activity in the lives of children. It’s not just about doing good; we have discovered that this activity builds self esteem and shapes these youngsters into the leaders of tomorrow.

Program Description:

This program will feature several heroes from the Kids Are Heroes website who will each tell participants about their unique projects and the work they are doing in their community. Participants will also hear from Mary Margaret, the founder of Kids Are Heros, and the president of the organization today, Gabe O'Neill.

Videoconference Outline:

• Introduction and Overview by Mary Margaret and Gabe O'Neill
• Presentations by Heroes
  Wes Prankard (Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada)
  Dylan Mahalingam (Rockingham, New Hampshire)
  Neha Gupta (Bucks County, Pennsylvania)
  Jordan Brown (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
  JT Robertson (JT Robertson (Cuba, New York)Cuba, New York)
  Calista and Austin Pierce (Erie, Pennsylvania)
  Gail Poulin (Southampton, Massachusetts)
• Question and Answer Session

Heroes' Biographies

Austin Pierce: Austin has been collecting pledges for Crawford County Special Olympics' annual Bowl-A-Thons to raise money for the program. To date, he has raised over $3,000.00 by asking anyone who would listen if they would sponsor him.

Calista Pierce: Austin's sister Calista has been making and selling ceramics, jewelry and crafts, helping to wrap and label homemade suckers, holding bake sales, running a lemonade stand and holding raffles to raise much needed funds. In just over 2 years, Calista has raised nearly $5,000.00 and has volunteered over 1,250 hours for Special Olympics through her fundraising and volunteering for the program.

Wes Prankard: Wes camped out in the cold for 24 hours during March break. His goal was to raise $2400.00 and awareness for the conditions in Attawapiskat, Ontario; a First Nation reserve on James Bay in which 1,000 of the 1,300 residents are said to be homeless. Wes raised over $5,800.00!

JT Robertson: JT Robertson collects cans and returnables. He then uses the deposit money from those returnables to buy tickets for less fortunate children on the Arcade and Attica Railroad for a trip on Make A Difference Day every October. When JT first started, there was a problem with boarding the train for children with disabilities - especially wheelchairs. So JT continued to collect returnables to fund the trips but also started to raise awareness of the problem. He made a video and asked for letters of support for an Extreme Train Makeover.

Neha Gupta: Neha's mission is to address the evils associated with orphans/abandoned children and underprivileged children, by motivating individuals to translate empathy into action. To achieve this mission, she has started a non-profit organization called "Empower Orphans." Neha has been helping create self-sufficiency by supplying the orphaned and underprivileged children with the tools to gain a basic education and technical skills to enable a sustainable livelihood, leading to productive and positive contributions to society. In addition to education, she provides food, clothing, healthcare and medical supplies to establish an effective learning environment.

Dylan Mahalingam: Dylan Mahalingam is the founder and CEO of Lil' MDGs, a unique international development and youth empowerment organization. Dylan is 14 years old and resides in Derry, New Hampshire. Dylan founded Lil' MDGs, a non-profit based in New Hampshire, when he was 9 years old; Lil' MDGs mission is to leverage the power of the Internet to educate, engage, empower, and inspire children in all corners of the world to help meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

MaryMargaret O'Neill: In early 2008, MaryMargaret O'Neill asked her Dad to help her build a website so I
could help animals. He said, "Why not help people and the environment too?" She
 liked that idea and Kids Are Heroes was born.

Jordan Brown: Jordan Brown is a WWII buff and has embarked upon a campaign to ensure that the WWII vets who served on D-Day are memorialized. In May 2010, he learned of an effort to honor Jordan’s hero, Major Dick Winters, and all the men that served on D-Day by having a statue built in St. Marie Du-Mont, Normandy, France. (This larger effort is being undertaken by Emmy award winning filmmaker, Tim Gray, see www.TImGrayMedia.com ) When Jordan read about this effort, he decided to embark on his own campaign to make sure that the necessary monies were raised for this and an associated documentary that will be produced on Major Winters Leadership abilities.

Pre-Videoconference Activities:

Required: Have the students see the website and spend a good deal of time reading the stories of the heroes out loud in class. This might be done by having student volunteers select a hero, read their story and then say why they picked that particular hero.

Suggested: We also suggest that the student have a parent sit down with them at home and look over the stories. This might just spark a real activity that can be carried out with the support of the parent.