Kids Who Care

By Suzie Boss

When disaster strikes, the world can seem like a scary place. Hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes can destroy lives, damage homes, and hurt communities.

Have you ever wondered if there's anything you can do to help? Just look what other kids have done.

Little Ideas, Big Impacts

One 12-year-old girl from Massachusetts decided she wanted to do more than "feel bad" after she saw television coverage of the huge tsunami that swept across Asia. By brainstorming with her brother and their cousin, they came up with a cool idea to sell custom wristbands that would raise money for tsunami victims. Their idea started small. They were going to sell wristbands just at their own schools. But before long, other kids heard about the idea—and wanted to help, too. By the time they were done, they had raised more than $100,000.

Helping out right in your own community can make a huge difference too. If fire breaks out in the Alaska village of Aniak, population 750, teenage girls are often the first to respond. Known as the Dragon Slayers, they are a volunteer crew specially trained in firefighting and emergency medical response.

Little Things Mean the Most

The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina caused so many people to see how they could make an impact and help. Students from all over the country decided to collect the stuff that they know other kids would need—backpacks full of school supplies, clothes, even toothbrushes. One girl from Oregon organized a donation effort in her hometown—then convinced her dad to load up his truck and drive the supplies all the way to New Orleans!

It turns out there are many ways kids can help after a disaster. All it takes to get started is caring about others, thinking creatively, and deciding you can make a difference.

Here's what one 10-year-old had to say after taking part in a relief effort: "Before, I didn't really think I could do much. But now I realize that a kid can actually do something to help the world."

Helping Through Girl Scouts

Looking for a way that you and your friends can help out? Here are some ideas:

Hurricane Relief

Troop 3428 from Mount Laurel, New Jersey, sent 22 backpacks filled with school supplies and personal notes to sister Girl Scouts in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Have your adult advisor/leader check www.girlscouts.org and click on the link "Hurricane Relief: Sisters Helping Sisters" to see their most current needs.

Rewarding Awards

Many of the awards you can earn in Girl Scouts (Try-Its, Badges, etc.) have a service activity component. Flip through Try-Its for Brownie Girl Scouts or The Junior Girl Scout Badge Book, find a topic you like (they cover everything from Animals to Writing), and start out by doing the service activity. Like it? Earn the rest of the award!

Service Projects

Check out your local Girl Scout council and see what service projects they've planned over this holiday season and beyond. Then, grab some of your friends—they don't even have to be Girl Scouts—and pitch in at one of the events.

The Girl Scout Bronze Award

Feeling as though you'd like to make a difference? Work with your Girl Scout leader/advisor and start planning your Girl Scout Bronze Award project. Want to make it something you can do with others? Go for it! The more, the merrier—and the better it is for everyone!