W hen a Wal-Mart cashier was little and facing a bleak Christmas, she was thrilled to receive presents from a "secret" Santa, and the memory still makes her happy. She told Ben Davis High School students that story as they purchased presents for low-income children in their community, helping them see firsthand how their generosity and goodwill lives on, even after the holidays. For the past nine

Last winter, Barbara Pace's fifth-grade class from Brook Park Elementary in Lawrence Township had settled into the comfortable routine of having hot chocolate every day after recess. When one girl suggested that they start paying for their hot chocolate, they were reluctant to follow her suggestion until they found out why. "One day Mrs. Pace told us that a girl in our class had an idea to raise s

There is the belief in this country that every individual has the fundamental right to the "American dream." With work, we believe, it can be achieved. But sometimes the opportunity to fulfill this dream is cut short. In such cases, there is an organization dedicated to helping individuals pursue their dreams. As executive director of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Indiana, Robin MacKinnon finds th

How would you react to the news that a kid had cancer? What could you do to help? Last year, three seventh-grade girls from Westlane Middle School heard about a boy who had been fighting cancer and decided to take action. Hanna Benn, 13, Jennifer Kazmierzak , 14, and Maggie Ferguson-Wagstaffe , 14, now eighth-graders, sponsored a fund-raiser at their school to raise money for the Michael Cuccione

Take a moment to appreciate your hair. You can wash it, blow it dry and style it. Most people take for granted having hair that doesn't get matted and fuzzy after a few years, like synthetic hair does. Since synthetic hair lacks natural oil and weight, many more knots and tangles form in it. It's easy to buy a wig with fake hair, but getting a wig with real hair is much more difficult and can be v

Think back to when you were younger. You might have had a stuffed animal or doll that went everywhere with you. It was your buddy, your best friend. It was anything you wanted it to be. We all remember the events of Sept. 11 and the relief efforts for the victims. But the people who worked at the World Trade Center -- as well as the firefighters and police officers who died -- weren't the only one

Watching movies is a favorite pastime for many Americans, but some Indiana teens are watching films for a different purpose. Meg's Gifts, an outreach program of Kids First, the Coalition for Quality Children's Media, sends videos to critically ill children in hospitals across the nation. What makes it unique is that youth volunteers are the ones who rate the films and deem them appropriate for dif

What is a pod? Is it a storage bin? A container that holds peas? Something from outer space? A pod is all of these things, but the pods we're talking about are groups of philanthropic children who want to help their communities. In 1981, Chester E. Dekko of Kendallville founded the Dekko Foundation to support educational opportunities in the communities where he lived and worked. In 1994, the foun

Ancient Olympians competed in footraces, and the prize, a wreath, was symbolic. But the victors' home cities awarded the winners money. Today, some races benefit nonprofit organizations instead of individuals. Turning a race into a charity run may seem like a simple idea, but it takes a lot of work -- and many volunteers. Relay for Life is an event sponsored by the American Cancer Society. Eight-

When Charity Abner was 8 years old, her mom worked three jobs to support the family. Knowing time with her daughter was limited, she turned to Big Sisters, a program that pairs girls with adult mentors. Doris entered Charity's life. Doris and Charity spent time talking, swimming and going to the zoo. "I didn't understand the whole concept. All I knew was I had this girl, my buddy, who always took

Is philanthropy helping an old lady across the street? Is it being an aide at a Girl Scout camp? Or is it sitting behind a desk deciding whose program deserves more money? According to four teens involved in various charities, philanthropy is all of these things. "There's more to it than just giving land or property or creating some type of endowment. It's about a personal extension of yourself an

When Henri Landwirth was a teen-ager in Belgium, he faced a firing squad. But for some reason, the German soldiers who were supposed to kill him told him to run. Landwirth fled the concentration camp, and after the war found his twin sister. But his father and mother had been killed. The lesson he learned is that life is important and that while he would never forget, he needed to forgive. "To go

According to recent news reports, the tsunami in South Asia has killed an estimated 212,000 people, with thousands more still missing. People all over the world have reacted by donating money to many relief organizations. Locally, many children are also contributing to the relief effort. Parochial schools Cardinal Ritter: For two weeks, students at this Westside school used competition to solicit

A merica's Promise was founded in 1997, after the Presidents' Summit for America's Future, "to ensure that every young person -- no matter their class, race or culture -- has access to the tools that create opportunities for success," according to its Web site, www.americaspromise.org. The nonprofit organization seeks to collaborate with communities to fulfill "Five Promises" to youth, which inclu