Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Kids Helping Kids
Recently, I did a story about a great new effort to help children who suffer severe burns. This campaign would have been special no matter who was behind it, but the fact that it was started by three 11-year-old girls makes it even more amazing.
Caroline O'Brien suffered a severe burn on her leg when she was 7 years old. She came up with the idea of making a video that could help burned kids understand they're not alone. Two of her friends, Whitney Wendel and Dara O'Connor, stepped in to help her start the project. Wendel and O'Connor had never been burned, they just wanted to help other children.
The three girls raised money for the project by sending out letters and even giving a powerpoint presentation to corporations in the Kansas City area. That's intimidating enough for an adult, but these determined 11-year-olds ended up raising $30,000! Incredible.
Now, the video is a reality. It's called "Just Like You" and features three young people who have been burned. The message of the film: burned kids are no different than anyone else.
Peko Johnson of Kansas City is one of the three kids featured in the video, along with Caroline. He jumped at the chance to do it, acknowledging to me when I talked to him about it, that he felt like he was the only person in the world who was burned when it happened to him 13 years ago, when he was 4. Now, Peko completely accepts what happened to him, even appreciates it. His back is badly scarred, but he now uses that in his artwork. Peko says if he hadn't been burned, he would have never met some great people who have become lifelong friends. It was a real pleasure talking with Peko and seeing how he's turned a bad event in his life into something positive. It was obvious why he was a perfect choice for the "Just Like You" video.
After watching "Just Like You," I have no doubt it will help many children through a difficult time. The film debuted last week in Kansas City and has already been sent to more than 25 burn units around the country. It's also available on DVD. If you'd like to buy a copy, go to kidshelpingkidsheal.com. The name of the website says it all.
Caroline O'Brien suffered a severe burn on her leg when she was 7 years old. She came up with the idea of making a video that could help burned kids understand they're not alone. Two of her friends, Whitney Wendel and Dara O'Connor, stepped in to help her start the project. Wendel and O'Connor had never been burned, they just wanted to help other children.
The three girls raised money for the project by sending out letters and even giving a powerpoint presentation to corporations in the Kansas City area. That's intimidating enough for an adult, but these determined 11-year-olds ended up raising $30,000! Incredible.
Now, the video is a reality. It's called "Just Like You" and features three young people who have been burned. The message of the film: burned kids are no different than anyone else.
Peko Johnson of Kansas City is one of the three kids featured in the video, along with Caroline. He jumped at the chance to do it, acknowledging to me when I talked to him about it, that he felt like he was the only person in the world who was burned when it happened to him 13 years ago, when he was 4. Now, Peko completely accepts what happened to him, even appreciates it. His back is badly scarred, but he now uses that in his artwork. Peko says if he hadn't been burned, he would have never met some great people who have become lifelong friends. It was a real pleasure talking with Peko and seeing how he's turned a bad event in his life into something positive. It was obvious why he was a perfect choice for the "Just Like You" video.
After watching "Just Like You," I have no doubt it will help many children through a difficult time. The film debuted last week in Kansas City and has already been sent to more than 25 burn units around the country. It's also available on DVD. If you'd like to buy a copy, go to kidshelpingkidsheal.com. The name of the website says it all.
Posted at 6:11 AM
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