Author: April Hirsch

Meet Isabella, our Inspiring Little Citizen from North Olmsted, Ohio. Isabella was born with her heart on her sleeve, a compassionate young lady who believes passionately about the principles of kindness and inclusion. She never wants anyone to feel left out. So, when she became a big sister to Olivia who has Down syndrome, she began advocating for kids everywhere who are rocking that extra chromosome.

Now, every year, on World Down Syndrome Day, she gives presentations to her classmates on what it means to live with Down syndrome and the importance of treating children with special needs as friends and equals, and not as foreigners.

Read on to learn more about Isabella and how she’s setting out to make a difference.

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Meet Evan, our Inspiring Little Citizen from Denton, Texas.  A brave little dude, Evan has been putting up a fierce fight against Leukemia for a number of years. He is currently seeking treatment at the Children’s Medical Center in Dallas where he is always the center of the party. Despite the tough cards he’s been dealt, Evan always has a smile on his face. His positive spirit fills up the hospital halls.

After being treated for some time, Evan thought to himself “just because kids are in the hospital doesn’t mean they can’t have fun and still play like kids”. So, he and his parents involved patients and medical staff to create Evan’s Avengers, bringing video games like Mario Cart to life in the halls of the hospital.

Read on to learn more about Evan and how he’s setting out to make a difference.
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Meet Jack, our Inspiring Little Citizen from Glenmoore, Pennsylvania. Jack is a tender-hearted boy who is constantly thinking of others and putting other kids first. He is quick to tune into emotions, readily helping to cheer up his classmates when they are feeling sad, lonely, or are just in need of a pal. His friends can attest, when you’re feeling glum, you can always count on Jack to be ready with a smile, and an action plan to make you feel better!

A fun fact about Jack is that he has always loved horses and feels very comforted by them. From a very young age, he would ask to be near them—his face would light up with excitement while feeding them carrots or watching them graze. For the past two summers, Jack went to horseback camp at Stone Crop Farm where he learned about Horse Power for Life, a wonderful organization dedicated to helping cancer patients and survivors of all ages improve their physical and emotional well-being through free, education and therapeutic horsemanship programs.

Last summer, he attended a birthday party for a friend who, instead of asking for gifts, wished for donations to the organization. Jack was so inspired that he saved $100 of his own money to donate to Horse Power for Life.

Read on to learn more about Jack and his hopes of supporting this great organization.

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Meet Juliette, our Inspiring Little Citizen from Los Altos, California. Juliette cares a lot about bees and is an avid Bee Ambassador! Her class wrote and performed a play where she played the role of a farmer who shares how bees are important for both plants and people. It was then that her passion for bees blossomed. She soon set out to share her knowledge from the play with her community, educating everyone from adults and kids at a pool party to the staff at a special needs residential center, and her neighbors.

Read on to learn more about Juliette and how she’s setting out to make a difference.  Continue reading →

Meet Sophia, our Inspiring Little Citizen from Rochester, New York. Sophia is an inspiring example of not judging a book by its cover. Because as a 7 ½-year-old with alopecia, she knows what it feels like when others do. She’s on a mission to spread the message of choosing curiosity and friendliness over assumption and exclusion. She made a video at school to teach her peers about her condition, and she treats others with visible differences the way she hopes to be treated–not with fear or judgment, but with connectedness and understanding.

Read on to learn more about Sophia and how she’s setting out to make a difference.
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