2010 Do Something Awards Finalists
Meet this year's Do Something Awards Finalists!
Divinity Barkley, 23
Carson, CA
Amagezi Gemaanyi (Knowledge is Power)Youth AssociationWhile studying abroad in East Africa, Divinity was moved to take action by the large number of youth who had resorted to petty crimes rather than continuing their education. Divinity started Amagezi Gemaanyi (Knowledge is Power) Guesthouse as a community learning center in Lubya, providing outreach and education services to more than 800 youth living in urban poverty.
Robin Bryan, 22
Winnipeg, Canada
Big Boreal: Manitoba's Gift to the Planet!Growing up without electricity or running water in rural Canada, Robin spent the majority of his childhood in the forests of Manitoba. As the world's largest single land storehouse of carbon and most abundant source of fresh water, the boreal forest of the East Shore Wilderness Area of Manitoba is critical to protect. Robin led the way in a landmark campaign that effectively banned logging in the four of Manitoba’s five provincial parks, protecting one million acres of forest.
Emma Clippinger, 24
Cambridge, MA
Gardens for Health InternationalWhile interning with the Clinton Foundation in Rwanda, Emma witnessed a major problem with HIV/AIDS treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa: most of the patients on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) do not have access to adequate, nutritious food, which is imperative to let the drugs work effectively. The Gardens for Health program is designed to enhance long-term food security, decrease malnutrition, foster economic development, and support effective HIV/AIDS care. Through micro-loans and nutritional training Emma has already helped 4,000 HIV-positive people.
Micaela Connery, 23
Hartford, CT
Unified TheaterMicaela grew up side-by-side with her cousin Kelsey. Inspired by Kelsey’s physical and developmental disabilities, Michaela started Unified Theater, a high school theatrical program that features the talents of individuals with various developmental and physical abilities. Micaela currently runs nine theater programs in schools across Connecticut and one in Rhode Island. To date over 19 productions have featured over 1,300 students with and without disabilities.
Evan Housley, 24
Peachtree City, GA
HeroBoxEvan deployed to Iraq in 2007 as a US Army Scout. While he loved receiving letters and packages from good will groups, the impersonal nature of these items didn't take in the specific needs and wants of the soldiers. So Evan, along with his brother Ryan, created Herobox to provide custom care packages based on gender, location, time of year, and other factors which typical care-packages don’t meet. Through their online customized system, HeroBox has sent over 7,250 customized packages to deployed troops.
Alec Loorz, 15
Ventura, CA
Kids vs Global WarmingWhen Alec first saw “Inconvenient Truth” at age 12, he was moved. So he applied to be one of Al Gore’s presenters, but was rejected because of his age. Instead of waiting to “grow up,” Alec created his own thing. In the past 3 years Alec has emerged as one of the most powerful young leaders in the environmental space presenting to over 25,000 people, including the US Senate. He is now working on organizing an international event to activate 1 million youth world-wide to take a stand against climate change.
Jacqueline Murekatete, 25
New York, NY
Jacqueline’s Human Rights CornerAt the age of 9, Jacqueline became an orphan, the product of the brutal genocide in Rwanda. Her six siblings, parents, and most of her extended family were among the 1 million victims. Taken in by her uncle in America, Jacqueline founded the Jacqueline’s Human Rights Corner in 2007 to educate people all over the world about genocides of the past. She is now working to build a community center in the Bugesera District of Rwanda.
Matt Palazzolo, 25
West Hollywood, CA
Equal Roots CoalitionAfter Proposition 8 passed in California, Matt was shocked—shocked out of complacency. He decided he had to do something. He created the Equal Roots Coalition, which has activated over 15,000 LGBTQ youth to fight back against discrimination and increase tolerance.
Wilfredo Perez Jr., 23
Providence, RI
Public Health Program for Haitian YouthWilfredo is the first person in his family to graduate from high school and he is now studying to be a doctor. He doesn’t plan to be a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills; Wilfredo is dedicating his life to public health. After visiting Haiti several times he created a Public Health and Education Program in La Caye, Haiti, training community health workers ranging in age from 16 through 21, all whom are orphans. To date this program has provided direct treatment for over 1,200 patients.
Jessica Posner, 23
Middletown, CT
The Kibera School for Girls and Shining Hope Community CenterSad fact: 66% of girls in Kibera (the largest slum in Africa) trade sex for food as early as age six and only 8% of women in Kibera ever attend school. Jessica co-founded Shining Hope for Communities to combat gender inequity and poverty in Kibera. Through the Kibera School for Girls, the first free school in Kibera, and the Shining Community Center, Jessica has helped over 5,700 residents gain education and employment.
Mark Rembert, 25
Wilmington, OH
Energize Clinton CountyIn 2008 the DHL Express hub in Wilmington, OH was shut down, putting 8,000 people out of jobs. Since then the local unemployment rate has spiked to 19%. In response, Mark launched Energize Clinton County, establishing Wilmington as the first Green Enterprise Zone in the country, in effort to not only attract new investment dollars, but to ensure a more sustainable future for Wilmington. Since launching in late 2008 the community has received 1.4 million dollars of direct green investment.
Jason Shah, 20
Cambridge, MA
INeedAPencil.comJason was inspired by a 15 year old he tutored in West Philadelphia who couldn’t spell the word “ball.” How would this kid ever go to college? Jason could help him with school, but what about the SAT? So Jason started INeedaPencil.com, a free online tutoring system designed to help underprivileged youth prepare for the SAT. INeedaPencil.com has helped over 30,000 students increase their SAT scores, by an average of 200 points.
Ashlee Smith, 11
Reno, NV
Ashlee's Toy ClosetIn 2005, when Ashlee was only six, her family’s house caught on fire. They lost everything. She wanted to help other kids like her, cope with this kind of extreme loss, so Ashlee started “Ashlee’s Toy Closet.” To date, Ashlee has distributed over 100,000 toys to children who have been affected by natural disasters.
Alecia Venkataraman, 24
Nolensville, TN
Make It Beautiful Inc.Alecia married her high school sweetheart. On her honeymoon things turned violent, but she stayed for 2 years hoping she could make it work. The abuse continued. With only $50 to her name, she left. She is now a leading young advocate on behalf of women. In 2009, Alecia created two full-service support centers in Central Tennessee to help others in times of crisis.
Alia Whitney-Johnson, 23
Cambridge, MA
Emerge GlobalWhile studying in Sri Lanka, Alia met Medhani, an eleven year old girl who had just given birth to her father’s son. Alia created a program (Emerge Global) to enable Sri Lankan girls who have survived sexual violence or abuse to become jewelry designers. Emerge Global utilizes a comprehensive program that not only teaches beading skills, but works to rebuild the girls confidence, while generating more than a year’s worth of savings for when they graduate the program. Emerge Global has supported 155 girls by selling over $60,000 of jewelry.
