Yesterday I came across the following tweet delivered by John:

How to create Facebook covers for your nonprofit (template included) aweber.com/t/IsLJ8

— John Haydon (@johnhaydon) December 30, 2011

Now always being the last to upgrade my stuff, I hadn’t even adopted the new timeline in Facebook yet. But after having read his post, I felt I had better do it quick and also offer some covers of our own. The post discusses not only making covers for one’s own page, but offering a variety of them to fans so they can display them proudly and help us get our message out. This is a great way to promote our organization in a really fun way.

Not actual size. Get original from kidsareheroes.org/fbcovers

Now word has it that these covers are not supposed to be too “pushy” as far as selling anything goes or even asking for donations. And according to Facebook’s terms and conditions you cannot sell this space to anyone. I can understand the latter part but find it kind of odd that what you put on your ‘personal’ cover is anyone else’s business. However we are up to this challenge to create covers that are attractive yet as John says, “lightly branded”.

So we were off to the races yesterday. Our “so far” list of covers that are free for all to use is here on our website. If you know us well enough you will know that Michelle Maritz, an amazing artist from South Africa, has been helping us design posters and calendar pages. I took the graphic from her January calendar and made a cover out of it. I can’t wait till she and her daughter Margot send me some more original covers. Their works are so whimsical and wonderful.

Not actual size. Get original from kidsareheroes.org/fbcovers

So we would love it if you let us know what you think of our new covers. And if you use one of them let us know about it in the comments and we will “brag” about you on Facebook and Twitter. You can even vent about what you think of the new Timeline feature. Like everyone else I really get annoyed with Facebook when it consistently gives us sweeping changes like these. But this new Timeline feature is growing on me. I just hope they keep it around for more than a month.

Not actual size. Get original from kidsareheroes.org/fbcovers

The Grand Ballroom at the Richmond Convention Center

Last Thursday we headed to Richmond for the #DSRPT11 conference as we were invited to speak to a group of 500 business entrepreneurs. The hash tag represents “disruptive thinking” as all the speakers and especially the headliner, Sir Richard Branson, have a reputation of thinking outside the box. As we arrived at the Richmond Convention Center we were a bit taken aback by the size and grandeur of the room. Two giant screens were hung adjacent to the stage and one other larger one above it. When we arrived our slides were on all screens which made it a bit surreal. This was really going to happen. Our speech coach told us that we should see the venue beforehand, learn every aspect of our entrance and get the feel for the whole thing so we knew what to expect. I can’t tell you how important this was to us. We both got miked up and went through the entire presentation to an empty audience. This was critical for us to get through the next day.

We delivered our speech on Friday after lunch. MaryMargaret showed no sign of nerves throughout the entire day until she realized we were on next. “Now I’m nervous!” she said. But she never showed it. I on the other hand had very little sleep the night before and was almost hyperventilating that morning. It wasn’t so much because of nervousness about speaking in front of people, it was more about the fact that the material was so important to me and I wanted to deliver it the right way.  I really didn’t want to mess it up. But when I arrived at the venue I saw how relaxed everyone was and interested in the content of the other speakers. This made me realize that we were really in the right place at the right time.

So then it was our turn. I still had a bit of the jitters but MaryMargaret was flawless. I didn’t really realize that until I watched it back later. We had a bit of a gaffe in the middle which turned out to be funny. I’m not sure if people thought we scripted that or not. I think the biggest surprise we received was the crowd’s reactions. Both the speech and the video we presented sparked several rounds of applause during, and MaryMargaret got a rousing standing ovation at the end. I also heard later that a few tears were shed, including some by my wife who was working the Flip video camera. The results of her efforts are seen below.

So after having completed the speech it was time to finally breathe out and enjoy the rest of the day. Many of you know that I credit Sir Richard Branson when I talk about the genesis of Kids Are Heroes. MaryMargaret is the flame but Sir Richard was at least a big part of the spark. We watched his presentation which included a fascinating look at the upcoming adventures of Virgin Galactic, which is the company he formed to take “ordinary” people into space. Thanks to the WONDERFUL folks at Richmond Unite, the company that hosted this entire event, we did get the opportunity to meet him, not once but twice. We did a “meet and greet” that night and were also invited to a brunch with him the next morning. I finally got to give him the acknowledgment I’ve always wanted to about how his words helped us start the organization. Talk about a surreal experience.

Hero Ethan from VA on left, Sir Richard and MaryMargaret

So I really must thank the folks from Richmond Unite for offering this opportunity to us, as we hope it acts as the launching pad for similar future events. I must also mention again our speech coach Mike Boyd, who helped us gain the confidence we needed and also improved our delivery tenfold.

Now although I had spoken in front of an audience of 5000 way back in 1993, it has been a long time and I must say I am not a professional speaker (yet). However if there is a chance it will advance our mission then we are “all in” to do it. Plus it will be a great opportunity for MaryMargaret. Thinking back to 1993 I remember giving up a family reunion at Easter time to practice for the speech. I don’t regret it because it did come off rather smoothly. So I knew that we were both in line for a LOT of practice. But that wasn’t enough. After all we’re included in a list of established and esteemed speakers such as Mark Victor Hansen, one of the creators of the “Chicken Soup” series. I thought our interests would be best served if we had some help — some coaching from someone I really respected.

I had met Mike Boyd at a local toastmaster’s meeting. He is the president of the local chapter. I just happened to run into him again as he was coaching a young girl who taught a public speaking class to youngsters. This was the guy I needed to talk to. Even though we met only briefly twice, when it comes to Kids Are Heroes I can’t be shy so I told him, “Mike, we need help and we can’t afford to pay you. Feel free to tell me to go climb a tree but I have to at least ask.” Well I was amazed at his response. He quickly started thinking of ways he could help. He teaches at a local community college so the first thing he did was offer his class as  a venue for a dry run. We did two in fact. He even gave out evaluation sheets and had the students evaluate us after the presentation. They gave us unbiased constructive criticism. We discussed the strong and weak points. After each set of evaluations we tweaked our presentation accordingly. To top that, this past weekend Mike invited us to a venue where we could practice our speech and get his critical comments one on one. There were extremely valuable to us. He even suggested we film ourselves so we could see for ourselves how we were doing. That turned out to be a key suggestion because when I watched myself back on tape I realized my part of it was rather bland. I had to take things up a notch.

Mike even offered us a third class we could speak to as our final “test”. I cannot say enough how much all of this has helped us and how lucky we are to have received his help and expertise. I would highly recommend Mike as a speech coach to anyone who would need it. Please see his schedule at the bottom of this post for upcoming “Communicator” classes he is offering to middle and high schoolers. MaryMargaret is indeed enrolled in the class starting next week.

The event is the #DSRPT11 Conference on Friday, September 9, 2011 at the Grand Ballroom of the Richmond Convention Center. If you are local to Richmond I hope you can come and say hello after our presentation. But go easy on us. After all, this IS our first rodeo.

Mike Boyd
Center for Empowered Communication
Session I begins 9/13/11 from 3:30-5pm
Session II begins 9/28/11 from 3:30-5pm
Sessions to be held at
Mt St Mary’s University Annex
5350 Spectrum Dr
Frederick MD
Call Mike at 301.524.0240

Riley from Kids Are Heroes Day 2010

I don’t think that a day goes by without me thinking of this day. Whether it be the ones we have enjoyed (this will be our 4th), or the ones we plan for. Last year’s event was amazing. I knew it would be a tall order to top it so I got to work on it MUCH earlier in the year this time. It was important to have it sponsored as we had to shoulder that responsibility in the past ourselves. We struggle in the current economy just like everyone else so that was no longer possible. Thanks to our Kids Are Heroes Day Giving Wall, and the kind companies and folks who have purchased bricks on it, we will be able to hold a reception for the kids this year. That’s what we have been working on and now we can also say we are taking that a step further. I’m proud to announce that for the first time we will be able to sponsor one hero and his/her guardian to come to the event this October. Why that makes me feel so good is because I am always hearing from families who would LOVE to come and be with other like minded children but cannot due to the cost of travel and accommodations. At this point we can commit to inviting one hero and guardian from the USA to be here with us. We are hoping for more donations, individual and corporate, to allow us to sponsor more. Our heroes who wish to be subsidized will write an essay and we will choose the best one(s) based on need and desire to be here.

Last year we enjoyed 23 heroes from all over the world, who ranged in age from 4-16 years old. And when I say all over the world I mean ALL over the world. Diana Onyonyi traveled 16 hours by plane, all the way from Nairobi, Kenya to be with her diminutive colleagues. This year Alaina Podmorow is scheduled to attend and she hails from British Columbia, Canada. As I mentioned 23 heroes were in attendance last year. We expect many more than that this year since our total number of heroes is 224 as of this writing. And since we now represent six countries, who knows how far they will travel? At the event, each one is invited to share their efforts with all who approach them. They are given opportunities to speak on stage and/or entertain in some way. One of the highlights of the day is the recognition ceremony where all heroes get a “thank-you” certificate from the mall. And of course they always get a real kick out of the reception, because that’s when they get to interact with each other the most and make new friends.

So what did we come up with for this year? Thanks to a chance conversation with Osjah’s mom, we will be having our first “Cupcake Wars” event at Kids Are Heroes Day this year. We have moved the awards ceremony to 3PM and from 1-3, three local bakeries will square off to try and serve the best cupcakes in Frederick. This will also act as a fundraiser for Kids Are Heroes, with hopes to propel us into 2012 with a somewhat healthy fiscal standing. But by definition we do things to support our kids. To that end we also plan to host “Charity Wars” in tandem with the Cupcake Wars.  Each vote for a cupcake consists of a vote for a bakery. That vote can also be used to vote for a charity that is supported by our children. Each child in attendance represents a charity that they are working on behalf of.  At the end of the competition we will donate %25 of the cash proceeds during the event to one of these charities, as long as it is US based and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. (We’re not snobs, we just have rules and regulations as to what we’re allowed to do.) All votes for all charities will end up in a barrel which the winner will be drawn from.

Our Support

Laken Weaver, who is quite an accomplished young local singer, will be singing our national anthem to start the day. If we can convince her to she will also sing the anthems of other countries represented at our event. Her dad Conrad will be running the live video stream throughout parts of the day. The Oakdale Owls will be back for the third year in a row. This time they will be performing the Kids Are Heroes Theme Song! Our consummate DJ, Wes Morgan from Gettysburg, PA, will be at the helm again with his AMAZING setup. We are excited to welcome the Musicians of Mercy, as they plan to bring a sizable orchestra to play for us. “We will bring however many will fit on the stage!”, says Robin Fay Massie, executive director of the organization. We are SO lucky to have Michelle Lindsay take the first photographer’s shift from 10-1PM. Our good friend and also excellent photog Amanda Rodriguez will have the afternoon shift. Sisters Bake Shop and Angel Cakes LLC two of the finest bakeries in Frederick, will square off for the Cupcake Wars.

Event Details

Kids Are Heroes Day 2011 will be held at the center court of the Francis Scott Key Mall in Frederick, Maryland, from 10AM-4PM on Saturday, October 29th, 2011.  Tables for each hero will be set up around the fountain for the kids to spread awareness about what they are doing, and to inspire children of passersby to become involved. People can start buying tickets for the Cupcake Wars at 12PM, and can begin voting (and eating) them at 1PM.  The Musicians of Mercy will be on at 2PM. The recognition ceremony for all the children will be held at 3PM.

There will be activities throughout the day, as our kids will have prepared to speak and entertain. Check back to this post from time to time as we will be updating it frequently as plans develop. We hope to see you there!!

Don’t get me wrong, if you look at our press box you will see we have indeed seen a lot of chatter about us in the past 3 years, and we are very grateful for it. What has eluded us for the most part is national and even regional attention.

Recently I was contacted by a producer at ABC. She found us via Google (Yay Google!) and wanted 10-12 year-olds who give back for a town-hall type TV show hosted by Diane Sawyer. The show was to honor Nelson Mandela. She wanted kids who were making a difference on a global scale. Finally we had something that matched us perfectly. We have been turned down for grants because we don’t focus exclusively on our local community. The catch was these kids had to be close to New York City. I offered to pay our way to NYC as I felt MaryMargaret would have been a great candidate. (For those of you who are unaware, MaryMargaret is the founder of Kids Are Heroes.) I sent them other great kids too, some older than 12. The odd thing was that this producer came back to me saying they only wanted the older kids and were not interested in MaryMargaret. I have to admit I was disappointed but happy at least to be offering that opportunity to the older kids. I heard a few weeks later that the producer had told them the higher-ups had changed their minds again and wanted 10-12 year-olds, yet she never came back to me. One thing I’ve learned is that if you are in the publicity game, you must have a thick skin. What it boils down to for those who can give it to you, is nothing more than ratings and money. They look at what we are offering as a commodity, not something that can potentially change the world. The quicker we can come to terms with that, the better off we will be.

And then there is the voting phenomenon. After MaryMargaret won the Discovery Girls Role Model contest (thanks to many of you) I swore I’d never go through that again. It was humiliating to ask for votes and now there are so many contests out there that it is becoming more obnoxious than anything else. So what did I do? I entered her in the Energizer Bunny Hall of Fame contest. Now in my own defense, as I understood it they would pick the top 100, (which did include MaryMargaret) then they would choose the top 10. The winner would be selected from the top 10 via a voting process. However, those in the top 10 would win $1000 for their favorite charity. So on merit alone, MaryMargaret could win the donation which we sorely need. Now comes the rub: The Bunny decided that they would open up the voting so that the “fan favorite” could be one of the top 10 and the other nine would be selected by their committee. So I got sucked in again asking for votes. Thanks to you (again) MaryMargaret did well with well over 250 votes, but sadly it wasn’t enough. I even stopped asking for votes when it became clear that some of these others had many more Facebook fans than we did. So we move on. And who knows, we will know on April 4th if she was chosen to be in the top ten.

And let’s not forget our “Celebrity Roundup” session we completed a few months ago. We sent personal letters to no less than 153 people I deemed as celebrities that I respected and could have given us a big boost if they promoted us. We only received a handful back that could not be found at that address so I know I hit my mark in most circumstances. A few people were very polite, (i.e. the assistants of Carlos Santana, Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, etc.) and turned us down in a personal and respectful way. For the most part, however, we received no response at all. I am not necessarily blaming them, I guess it was more of a learning process for us to see if that would be an effective tool. Apparently it wasn’t.

Sometimes I say to myself that I should just keep our nose to the grindstone and do what we do every day — promote what these kids are doing via social media and let the publicity come naturally. This is honestly what I would prefer to do but sometimes admittedly I get sidetracked. Do you remember the old cartoons of a dog who tiptoes as he sniffs a cloud of smoke, his nose fluttering, and follows it to a ham or a turkey? That’s sort of what happens to me when the “smell” of publicity gets near me. I cannot control myself.

So why am I hounding publicity? Do I want to be famous? Do I want MaryMargaret to be famous? I will state undeniably and  unequivocally: No and NO! As a matter of fact the second to last thing I want is for me to be famous and the absolute last thing I want is for MaryMargaret to be famous. Although I have no interest in her, Fame can be a very seductive lady, yet she is also extremely destructive. She can chew you up and spit you out, tied in a knot just like a cherry stem. I value my privacy and the thought of  not being able to be left alone while in public absolutely turns my stomach. So Fame is not my thing. What we look for on an every day basis is elevated awareness for Kids Are Heroes. That is why we work so hard in social media. We just want other people to know about what these kids are doing. We want to share the incredible feelings we have when we listen to them and witness when they get together. We want to share with others the wondrous results that we get when these kids get involved in giving back. It plainly and simply enriches their lives and turns them into leaders. That is what we’re all about.

Some of you may have seen the tweet recently about our new Kids Are Heroes theme song. This was written and produced by one of our talented ambassadors, Chip Richter. One of the reasons he created it is because we have a local production company that is trying to develop a documentary series about us. As a matter of fact, the pitch reel should be ready any day now. The idea is that the producers will go to Halogen TV, Nickelodeon and others to see if they are interested in a series that highlights our children. I do hope it works as I can guarantee one thing it will deliver: inspiration. Stay tuned for developments on this.

So in the end have I sworn off those voting contests? In my mind I loathe them, but I never say never.

Anyway, when I was a child (in the 3rd grade) growing up in the suburbs of Montreal, Quebec, I would come home for lunch each day to enjoy some quality time with my mom. I’ll never forgot the wonder of getting a new TV that was actually in color. It seemed as if the whole room even smelled differently. We would watch Hollywood Squares followed by Jeopardy and then I was back off to school.

I have very fond memories of those times. Not sure why a third grader would like those shows, but I sure did. Now enter the reason why I’m mentioning it. We recently launched our Donor Walls, where anyone can buy a square for a small donation and get publicly thanked in return with a link back to their website. It is a fun way for folks to get involved with KAH and get promoted to more than 30,000 Twitter followers and Facebook fans for a very small donation. The Hollywood Squares show would have a “secret square” where if you chose it and got the answer right you would win extra prizes.

We decided we would incorporate the same thing. Behind one of the squares in our Foundation Wall is a secret square where, if you have purchased it, you will win special prizes. Once all the squares are filled we will film MaryMargaret drawing a square out of a hat and whoever has purchased that square will be the winner. Since we have some time before all that happens, we are also soliciting for donations to add to the list of prizes. Maggie, one of our heroes, has generously donated one of her bracelets (worth $25) to the cause. We will also add KAH wristbands, a piggy bank and a T-shirt. This will be great PR for whoever donates goods to the square as well as for folks buying squares on our wall. We are going to keep a running list of items on this blog post which will mean that this post will be featured prominently and many times over.

So think of something that can be easily shipped to anyone, anywhere and is something truly of value. And we thank those who have generously purchased a square. Let us know if someone found you through our wall. Contact us here if you would like to donate something.

Current Items in the Secret Square

KAH Wristbands (Two adult Two Child) ($8 value)
KAH Tshirt ($23.95 Value)
KAH Piggy Bank ($3 value)
Necklace by Maggie at Twice Loved ($25 value)

Also…

On Tuesday, January 25, at 12PM EST, I will be live on Debbie Glickman’s Toginet Radio show.  The show is called “Believe in Your Fairytale and Your Zing will Come True!” Well here’s hoping our “zing” comes true. Here is the link for that show.

More exciting news came the other night when we were invited to have a guest spot on Radio Disney (KMIC AM) in Houston Texas. As it was explained to me there are many affiliate stations around the country that carry the national feed of Radio Disney. According to Lauren our interviewer, “Each market then has a public affairs program that airs weekly. This is the only local show in each market so its a very important show!” Our interview will be aired on April 3 as April is National Volunteer Month. Even though it is local, it is a 5000 watt station and we are very excited to be introduced to the folks in Houston.

So if you know of a radio show producer or are one we would love it if you would help us get the word about about what our kids are doing. I can’t say enough about how our kids are making so many positive impressions on kids around the world and getting them to take part in volunteer activities. It’s an amazing sight to see. And if you get time kindly support us by listening to our radio shows — even call in if you get the opportunity. We’d love to hear from you!

For an interview please contact us directly. All of our contact info is here. If you are a member of the press, please visit our press box.

BREAKING NEWS!!! Thanks to one of our Facebook fans who read this blog post, it was suggested to us to look up a Sirius/XM station called KidsPlace LIVE. I checked out their Facebook page and sent off an email. Turns out their music director really loves what we are doing and he invited us to come in THIS SATURDAY (Jan 29) to their studios in Washington DC for a LIVE interview!!! So right after we finish our own show we are headed down to DC. So, if you are one of their 700,000 listeners, please tune in to “Robbie Schaefer’s Bandwagon” show from 10AM-2PM EST on Channel 116! Thanks Danica!!

Update 2/1/11: Our interview with Robbie was a lot of fun and brought awareness to a whole new audience. We put another message out on our Facebook page and landed yet another interview this time with an up and coming radio host named Christopher Gabriel out of Fargo, North Dakota. Our appearance on his show is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb 8 at 2PM EST. Go to wday.com to listen live!!

We are so thankful for the people that are helping us land these interviews. The more people that know about us the more we can have a positive influence on.

Help Us Tip it Over!

You may have heard me speak about our cart. It is something we continue to fill up with the hopes that it will tip over soon. When it tips over, that means that Kids Are Heroes will go viral and we will be able to affect millions of families instead of just hundreds and maybe thousands. This is one of our most important goals. Here are some things that are in our cart right now:

• MaryMargaret was featured as a role model by Discovery Girls Magazine for their 10th anniversary issue which will be out in June.
• Just completed a letter writing campaign to 153 celebrities in hopes of having one or two of them take up our cause.
• Local production company just finished filming two of our heroes so they can shop an ongoing documentary to various TV networks.
• Scheduled an upcoming video conferencing session which will provide a venue for 7 heroes and one kindergarten teacher to talk about Kids Are Heroes to various classrooms around the US and Canada. (This will happen on February 2.)
• MaryMargaret will be featured in new online magazine called “Luella Girl” in February 2011.
• We are promoting our availability for speaking engagements and radio interviews both in person and remotely. Our first radio interview of 2011 will air on WBTN-AM radio in Vermont on January 8.

Update 01/08/11: Due to the success of the interview on WBTN, we were asked to co-host the Recognition Radio show every Saturday morning through the end of March! This is a HUGE thing to add to our cart. To listen to our premiere episode, and stay tuned each week, visit our Radio Page.

We have recently been told of a periodical geared towards producers of TV and radio shows. It is a magazine that provides great stories and people to interview. We feel that this is a very efficient way of telling radio and TV producers about us. We are looking to raise $1800 to place three half-page ads in this magazine in early 2011. This could do wonders for our cart and who knows, in the end might be just enough to tip it over. (To donate to this cause, please click here.)

A Call to Action

When I was doing research on some of the celebrities we wanted to target I came across an interview with Don Shula, former coach of the Miami Dolphins. He said, “When you have a charity you can only do so much on your own. In order to survive you have to have support.” Truer words have not been said. If you believe in what we are doing, I am asking for your support right now. The radio interview mentioned above goes into details about some of the things we are working on that require support from you and others just like you.

Please help us tip the cart over by getting more radio and TV interviews. If you cannot support us financially, become an ambassador and help us with fund raising and awareness. This organization gives back exponentially as every single day I am inspired by what these kids are doing. One of our ambassadors recently told me, “You have six-year-olds that have already done more than some adults have in their lifetime.” These kids are inspiring children from all over the world to get involved. By getting the word out to more (and more, and more) families, we all can have a great impact and feel wonderful doing it.

So why the change for me? Why do I do it? The answer is because it changed my life for the much better.  I remember the first time I brought my dog Charlie to a nursing home and he brought an ear-to-ear grin to a woman who had been paralyzed in an auto accident since 1984.  The warmth that immediately surged through my body was indescribable.  The pride I took in my best friend Charlie was unmatched.  Do I get something out of volunteering? The answer is “every time I do it“.

So what about Kids Are Heroes? You might be asking “what can Kids Are Heroes offer my children?  The stories are nice and heartwarming, but what do my kids gain from joining in?”

The answer is a better life. A much richer life experience, regardless of socio-economic status comes to those who volunteer.  I came to realize this gradually as I heard back from featured children’s parents, and as I watch my own daughter develop.  J.T. Robertson is one of our heroes from New York. His mom won’t mind (I hope) that I repeat the gist of a conversation we had recently by phone.  She related to me that she lives in one of the poorest counties in New York.  Kids in her neighborhood are overlooked because the general feeling is there is no hope for them.  For a number of years now, J.T. has been raising funds so that disadvantaged children can enjoy something he treasures — a train ride on the Arcade and Attica Railroad.  This event takes he and his mom all year to plan. That is not all thirteen-year-old J.T is involved with. He brings toys to the hospital and plays with the children, among other things.  (See J.T.’s profile on the Kids Are Heroes site.)  He speaks at events and one of his speaking points is the Kids Are Heroes web site.  It’s not “look at the recognition I got” — it’s more ”look at what you can do and how it can affect others.”  His mom flat out told me that Kids Are Heroes is a great opportunity for kids in this situation to rise above the statistics that plague them.  His efforts got him on Good Morning America.  As a child when you see the results that you are really helping others, it gives you the same feeling as if you were an adult — it’s a really good feeling that boosts self-confidence and develops leadership skills.

Want another selfish reason for your kids to become involved in KAH? So they can participate in events like this!

When my daughter MaryMargaret started our web site she was just nine years old.  She is now twelve.  She has been involved in many volunteering efforts in those three years, and she would join us at the nursing homes before that.  She has learned to think outside of herself which is hard to do for many kids.  She has gained respect and empathy for older people, and kids who are very sick.  Her confidence has risen immeasurably due to the speeches she is asked to give about what she does.  She has completed a year-long effort to raise money to buy MP3 players for kids at the Children’s Hospital in D.C.  When she was just six, she spent a harrowing ten days there and thought that the gift of music will help that time go easier for these unfortunate kids.  She purchased 250 MP3 players and delivered them to two area youth hospitals.  What a sense of accomplishment she felt as it took her over a year to raise the money!  Her latest project is called “Black to Blue”.  She and two friends plan to raise $5000 to help clean the animals affected by the Gulf oil spill.  The kids have planning meetings where tasks get delegated.  This is encouraging teamwork.  They plan to visit radio stations to enlist help.  This will also boost their self confidence.  There is a lot of research that needs to be done for this project.  To be effective all three of the kids will have to know the facts.  All three are very passionate about doing this which will also show in their presentations.  There are just so many life lessons they will learn because of this project. Through her efforts she is becoming a true leader, as are many of the other children featured on our website.

So what does this all mean?  Am I in this for the “wrong” reasons?  Am I only passionate about Kids Are Heroes because of the benefit to my daughter?  I would be lying if I said that part didn’t matter to me. Of course I am happy that her efforts will help her develop into a well rounded, socially responsible citizen.  But I can’t ignore the other perks.  One of them I just mentioned — it’s very heartening to know something we created has touched a boy like J.T. in such a way that he wants to tell others about it.  I enjoy every opportunity we get in meeting the other wonderful kids and their families who are involved with KAH.  I get that same warmth I described earlier when my daughter brings smiles to cancer-stricken children by bringing them Webkinz she paid for from the donations she collected.  I get warm feelings every day when people encourage what we are doing. I get so much energy when I listen to the children explain what they are doing and why they are so passionate about it. I get a sense of hope dreaming about the global effect we will have some day.

So shouldn’t volunteering be a thankless activity?  Shouldn’t we just do it without wanting anything in return?  Maybe that works for some people, but not for me. As I have said before, I’m not that nice of a person.

So you say you’d like for your kids to be involved? We recommend that you sit down with them at the Kids Are Heroes web site and “Meet the Heroes“.  Read their stories. You and your child will learn about children as they are changing the world. Suddenly your child will realize that they can do it too. It is generally not long after that when they discover their own passion to help. They will choose a project, selecting certain elements of other projects they have just read about, and with your guidance execute their plan.  When they do, please let us know about them so we can feature them too.

Wow. What a great question. It’s not as if I haven’t thought about it, it’s just that noone has ever asked me that question before.  I know that when you write things down more ideas come flowing out, so I decided to write a blog post about it.

Kids Are Heroes began in March of 2008, so we are just finishing up our second year.  During that time we have featured close to 100 kids, had two Kids Are Heroes Days and been on Virgin Atlantic planes for one month, thanks to Sir Richard Branson.  We have also created our first major project where we plan to involve kids from all over.  I am happy with our progress, especially since we have become involved with social media.  But at the moment we are still very small with big plans.

It is hard to develop exact timetables, especially when I know that there are so many unknowns.  A lot of what we do will depend on what kind of financial help we can get.  We are lucky to have a few business partners who support us but I would sure love to get a bunch more. :)  Having said that plans are meant to be flexible, so let me at least speak to what we would like to do.

• Drill our first well with the help of kids out there who don’t have their own project.  We still want to encourage kids to follow their own passions, but also want to offer an alternative.  This will be done through Project KAH2O.
• Develop other projects so kids can select among them.
• Secure our 501c3 status.
• Finish our business plan (will it ever be finished?).
• Provide funding for more kids to attend Kids Are Heroes Day in October.
• Feature at least 150 more kids.
• Start to provide web site development to help jump-start kids’ projects.
• Develop materials that can be sent to schools. This will include a video (already produced) explaining what we do at Kids Are Heroes along with added resources.
• Achieve mentions in several national media outlets.
• Start to travel the country to spead the word.

We have felt from the beginning that Kids Are Heroes is something that works in every community and hope it will eventually become a household word.  Just the other night my 11-year-old daughter MaryMargaret received an email from a 12-year-old girl named Lily. She is just getting started in her project to “help the world in its desperate struggle to stop the pollution and clean up our mess.”  She noted that MaryMargaret “had some experience” and could she “give me some advice”.  This is another role we really hope to develop — to help nurture kids’ ideas and help them maintain their focus so they can follow through with their projects. You bet we are following up with Lily and watching her progress.

So, I welcome the next year and hope we can indeed accomplish many of those things.  One thing I am sure of, we will certainly be writing about it along the way!