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L ilah first visited Friends
of Refugees, a Clarkston-
based non-profit, in the
fall of 2016 with her
second grade class as part of an
expedition inviting her class to
“walk in the shoes” of a refugee.
A few months later, as the debate
over allowing refugees into the
United States came to dominate
the news, she felt called to take
action to help those fleeing to this
country. She decided to have a
bake sale on the Atlanta BeltLine
to raise funds to donate to Friends
of Refugees. This first bake sale
was a success, yielding over $600,
while a second one brought her
total to $2,000. More bake sales
and fundraising events for local
organizations are planned this
year. “During one of our bake
sales, an elderly guy came up to
our table and said that he had
come to America a long time ago
as a refugee and that he was
happy to see that people were
still supporting them. I also was
happy that we raised so much
money for Friends of Refugees.”
20 ^20
LILAH DIDIER-SOBER, 9
Oakhurst Elementary School
I nspired by his uncle
(former NFL all-pro
running back Warrick
Dunn) and his mom, the
fourth grader has founded his
own charitable organization,
Cayden’s Way, which is
dedicated to supporting the
dream of homeownership
and helping to furnish the
rooms of children in need. The
organization has raised more
than $23,000 and Cayden
received the Community Angel
Award for his efforts. Instead
of receiving birthday gifts,
Cayden accepts donations for
the charity. Fie said seeing a
child’s excitement of having
his own room for the first time
has been his most exciting
moment. Fie says the quote,
“when you know better, you
do better,” has been instilled
in him and makes him strive
harder to help the community.
“I want to help people get
food, shelter and a job,” he
said.
CAYDEN EDWARDS, 9
Beecher Hills Elementary
A s early as his bar mitzvah, Rem chose to have guests buy One World Futbols
(indestructible balls made for any kind of surface) rather than get him gifts,
and partnered with Atlanta’s Soccer in the Streets to distribute the dozens of
balls to refugee kids in Clarkston. Fie was chosen by the National Center for
Civil & FFuman Rights and the Museum of FFistory & FFolocaust Education at Kennesaw
State University to participate in a four-part dialogue titled “Changing Landscapes:
Conversations on FFuman Rights.” Rem was also selected to be on the Fulton County
Youth Commission, participate in Morehouse College’s Coca Cola Pre-College Leadership
Program and The Great Jewish Books summer program at the Yiddish Book Center in
Massachusetts. Fie said his time on the youth commission has been life-changing. “I
remember the first time being in a van with my fellow youth commissioners, driving from
place to place for the sole purpose of connecting with the homeless, providing them with
the basics for their holidays, and inviting them to our Thanksgiving meal. Despite their
obvious hardships, the gratitude we received was palpable. This taught me that although
it’s important to give charity, just reaching out and interacting with others is often equally
appreciated.”
w
:sley has been
volunteering
with
MedShare,
edShare
nors me an -he wor_t, TO vjs awe, to . H
the nonprofit that distributes
medical supplies and
equipment around the world,
since 2015. PFe started his
service by sorting donations,
but has since participated in
fundraisers, compiled a cost
saving summary that wound
up in the organization’s annual
report and created a report
on building new partnerships
with volunteers. Wesley said
the everyday experiences at
MedShare are what keeps
him engaged. “After my
20th visit I decided to retake
the orientation tour of the
facility, a simply awesome
warehouse full of ready-to-be-
shipped medical supplies and
equipment. During the tour,
Alvaro, the perpetually smiling
volunteer manager, mentioned
off handedly that over half of
the warehouse was powered by
the solar panels on the roof.
Wow. I had been going to
MedShare for months and they
still continued to surprise me.
While yes, Medshare’s mission
to both help those in need and
reduce landfill waste is what
brought me in, it’s their constant dedication to doing what’s right that brings me back every
Saturday. With all the divisiveness around the world, it’s very humbling to help with a non
profit like MedShare.”
WESLEY HARDIN, 17
The Calloway School
42 January 2018 \nn
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