How I Got Here!
This is a timeline of organizations I have worked with over the years that have influenced and shaped me into the person I am today.
Alex's Lemonade Stand
Summer 2004
When I was 10 years old I met Alexandra Flynn Scott, the founder of Alex's Lemonade Stand; an organization working to raise money to find a cure for childhood cancer. Alex was diagnosed just before her first birthday with Neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. At age 4 Alex wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money for her hospital so that other children wouldn't have to live with cancer. I was inspired by Alex's story and began hosting my own stands, which I have continued for the past ten years. At the age of 10 I started getting corporate sponsors to help with my stand. I got all of my lemonade, cups & decorations, and signs donated to help me start. My township held concerts every Sunday in the township park and it was the perfect venue for a stand. I held stands almost every sunday in the summer during middle school, and at least one stand a year in high school, and this past year I held a special stand in honor of the 10 year anniversary of Alex's death. To this day I have raised over $14,000 for Alex's Lemoande Stand and the fight against childhood cancer.
I'm the girl on the right next to Alex & Liz Scott (with the pig tails). This photo was taken a month before Alex died; it was her last family outting before her death.
Relay for Life
Summer 2005
In 2005 I began attending our local Relay for Life event. My brother and my sister were the team captains for our church team and they got me involved in going. I raised money and then walked around the track for as long as my mom would let me.
In 2007 I became Team Captain for my church's Relay for Life Team. As a long time supporter of American Cancer Society because of my work with Alex's Lemonade Stand, it was exciting to be able to take on responsibility and work to grow our team. Over the years as the Team Captain we had many fundraisers such as a Coffee House I put together every spring. We raised money and were known for our spirit on the track during the event.
In 2010 I joined the Relay Committee and was instrumental in helping set up and doing a lot of day of work. I spent all day riding around the track setting up for the event and helping get everything ready. It was inspiring to hear the stoires of survivors and know that all the work we were doing was really making a difference.
World Vision: 30 Hour Famine
Winter 2006
My church held its first 30 Hour Famine event and I was excited to try something new. Little did I know how much the event would impact me. While we were fasting we learned about children around the world who go hungry every day. I was moved by the stories of these children and I wanted to make a difference. We did the event again in 2011 and 2012. During my final event I raised over $360 and was able to feed a child for a full year. During the 30 hours we were fasting, the adults made sure that we drank juice to help keep us going; however, my final year I only drank water to get a better taste of what hunger is like. I kept a journal and it was a moving experience to feel tired and exhausted from not having anything to eat.
Prior to participating in this event I only really understood the need to help raise money for cancer research. After experiencing a small taste of what hunger feels like I made it my goal to help children around the world. To this day I am still drawn to international work and it is my dream to work to end world hunger and provide opportunities to hungry children for success and a better life.
Lutheran World Relief
Fall 2008
Every year at my church, the Hearts and Hands ladies host a special women's dinner to raise money for a particular organization and have a speaker from that group talk to those who attended. The first dinner I went to was centered around the organization Lutheran World Relief (LWR), with whom the ladies made blankets and emergency kits for every year. The representative talked about the different services LWR provides and donation opportunities they have. LWR works to end poverty, injustice, and suffering around the world by providing disaster response, finding long term solutions to poverty, and distributing goods. One way to donate and help others is through their LWR Gifts in which you could buy an animal or service to help someone in need. Christmas of 2008 I put on my Christmas list to "Santa" (aka Mom) that I wanted hens and chickens for someone in need. That year, and every year since I have received for Christmas a note saying what had been donated in my name for me that year. In the past seven years I have had donated in my name hens & chickens, rice ducks, school supplies, a pig, a goat, honeybees, worms, and educating an aids orphan. This totals over $350 that has been donated to LWR in my name instead of a Christmas present.
Invisible Children
Winter 2009
During my freshman year of high school I joined the club Invisible Children and learned about the child soldiers in Uganda, forced to join the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) and cause chaos and destruction around the country. My first year we collected almost 20,000 books to send to the schools Invisible Children was helping to build in the hopes of restoring some peace within the country. At the time Invisible Children focused on building schools, but over the yeras they worked to advocate for the child soldiers, take measures to bring the children home, create rehabilitation centers, and bring to light the leader Joseph Kony through their campaign Kony 2012.
In the Fall of 2012, Invisible Children announced their weekend events MOVE DC and LOBBY DC. I was able to go down to Washington D.C on a Friday, and spend the day lobbying to congressmen and women for the states of Pennsylvania and later Maryland. While meeting with the congressmen we were trying to gain support to send American troops to help find Kony and put an end to the war. The next day, Saturday, was a day to gather supporters and march on the white house and advocate for the child soldiers. In the morning there was a Global Summit consisting of officials from the International Criminal Court, Uganda, South Sudan, Democratic Rebulic of the Congo, and a few other international organizations. After hearing what each country and organization had to say, the thousands of people in attendance walked the streets of Washington DC from the Convention Center to the White House, and ending at the Washington Monument.
International Rescue Committee
Spring 2015
I have always talked about working and helping internaionally, but I never really knew what I wanted to do. You always hear about the people who are in refugee camps and are displaced by war, but have you ever really thought about them as people? I sure didn't until I started interning with the International Rescue Committee. Refugees come to the US to escape what is happening in thier own country and oftentimes will flee leaving everything behind. Working in immigration and learning about the stories of the clients is inspiring and has brought to my attention a population that is in need of serious help.
It is amazing reading some of the Asylum Approval Letters for our Asylee clients and experiencing what these people have gone through first hand through their letter. Threats, beatings, death, and destruction follow these individuals and it is amazing to see how far they have come through the work of amazing nonprofits like the IRC. The IRC truly lives up to it's mission of helping people get from harm to home. Through my time with the IRC I have met with nearly forty different clients from over 14 different countries.
