AG 2005 03 21 - Laserfiche WebLink

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NORTH CAROLINA'S TOP TWO YOUTH VOLUNTEERS SELECTED/Page Three Christa Barrett, 16, of Gastonia, a junior at Gaston Christian High School in Belmont, created a Christmas candy and cookie cookbook and sold 270 copies through local restaurants, raising more than $800 to provide holiday gifts and food for needy families in her area. Lorna Fink, 15, ofKernersville, a sophomore at Paisley Magnet School in Winston-Salem, has been undergoing training over the past year to raise seeing-eye guide dogs for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Lorna also helps to care for abandoned animals until they can be adopted. Neagheen Homaifar, 16, of Greensboro, a junior at Grimsley High School, created a group at his school to give students from different ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds an outlet for thoughtful dialogue. Neagheen also started a tutoring program that pairs upperclassmen with freshman in an effort to reduce failure rates among young students. Caroline May, 18,of Charlotte, a senior at Charlotte Country Day School, raised more than $8,000 to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation during a bicycle ride from Georgia to California. Caroline, who made the journey on behalf of a young boy with cystic fibrosis whom she used to baby-sit, rode as many as 100 miles a day in an effort to fund a cure for this debilitating disease. Kaila Ramsey, 17, of Franklin, a senior at Franklin High School, initiated a collection drive that yielded more than 160 coats for the poor and homeless, including those who lost their homes during last summer's hurricanes. Kaila gave away the coats along with a hot breakfast at a "free market" she hosted at her church. Megan Smith, 17, ofValdese, a junior at East Burke High School in Connelly Springs, spearheaded a can-recycling program in eastern Burke County to benefit Habitat for Humanity, the Ronald McDonald Charities, and the environment. She placed collection boxes throughout her area, established a permanent collection trailer in Connelly Springs, and gave children living in Habitat for Humanity houses the opportunity to build a mobile can-collection "house" for recyclables. "Over the past 10 years, we've seen an incredible number of young Americans who have selflessly devoted their time and energy to helping others in their cornmunities," said Arthur F. Ryan, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial. "The volunteer work of this year's honorees is as inspiring as any we've seen, and we are honored to recognize the amazing contributions they've made to their neighborhoods, their cities and our nation." - more - c~ \