Kids are Heroes - Become a Hero

By: MaryMargaret	Donate Used Sports Equipment
	Are you into baseball? Soccer? Hockey? Other sports? Well there are many kids who would like to play but cannot afford the equipment. See if you can hold a drive to collect used equipment at a local sporting goods store. You will need to ask your parents to contact the store and also tell the local newspapers and radio what you are doing so people will know about it. You can also ask the store manager to send out notice to their email list. Once the equipment is collected you can give the donated items to your local Goodwill store, or contact your county services (i.e. homeless assistance) to see if they can suggest an agency that will distribute the items for you.

By: Charlie	Visit a Nursing Home with Your Pet
	For most people, living in a nursing home is no fun at all. The people who live there see the same things every day. Share your pet with the folks that live there and you'll be amazed at how much you will have have brightened their day. You will need a bit of help from your parents. Ask them to contact a nursing home or assisted living facility nearby and ask for the volunteer coordinator to see how you can get your dog or cat involved. Look for an organization near you like Wags for Hope (which was founded by Charlie in 2006!) that can also help you get started. This organization, located in northern Maryland, allows handlers as young as 10 years old, as long as they qualify. If mom or dad is taking the pooch anyone can come along! This activity also instills great respect for seniors.

By: Calista Pierce	Helping Special Olympics
	To help Special Olympics, all you guys have to do is make some crafts or anything you might want to sell and set it up. It helps to make signs and post them ahead of time to let people know about your sale. Make sure you let everyone know what the money raised is going to. You can hold these sales in your driveway, at Special Olympics fund raising events, even craft shows. (Some shows will provide a free spot once they learn what you are doing.) You can do it at the same time your parents are having a yard sale. Ask your local grocer if you can set up something just outside the door or in the lobby. Then, all of the money you raise, you can either send to me to help Crawford County Special Olympics or donate it to your local Special Olympics. If you could help me, that would be so great and you would not only be helping me, but also Special Olympics. Just get a parent or someone around the house to help you and get permission first and like I said before, make crafts or anything you would like and sell it. It's that simple. You could even make crafts and send them to Calista Cares or donate craft supplies. That would help me out a lot! Thank you, Calista, Calista Pierce, c/o Crawford County Special Olympics PO Box 273 Meadville, PA 16335

By: Tina Alexander	Take the Tina Sue Challenge
	If you are a child with epilepsy help educate your community and school. Ask your teacher if you can talk to the class about what epilepsy is and seizure first aid. Create bookmarks that dispel the myths of epilepsy and/or have seizure first aid on them. Ask your local library to host an Eggs for Epilepsy art project. (Eggs for Epilepsy is where local Art Students get together with children with epilepsy and/or other disabilities and help them create original egg art. This could be painted eggs, painting of eggs, macrame eggs, etc. Then the local library showcases the art for the week of Easter. It can also become a fundraiser if the college art student themselves donate art to be auctioned off at a dinner.) "Take the PEACE Teen Challenge" If you are a teen driver find out who in your school has epilepsy and is not able to drive. Start a car pool to football games and other school events for students with epilepsy and seizure disorders. Don't be afraid, be a friend. Notify PEACE of your ideas that have been implemented and we will add them to our web site with your picture and story.

By: MaryMargaret	Cell Phones for Soldiers
	Ask your teacher or principal if you can hold a used cell phone drive. Make a flyer that can be included in the school newsletters. Decorate a plastic collection bin with your drawings of American flags, soldiers, etc. that can be left at the school for a long period of time. MaryMargaret did this and even made up "A Soldier's Prayer" and pasted it on the side. When you are done, find a local collection station from the web site (see button below). This supports an organization called "Cell Phones for Soldiers" which was started by two of our heroes Robbie and Brittany Bergquist. The cell phones are recycled and the money collected goes to purchasing prepaid phone cards for troops all over the world.

By: Nich Giordano	Backpack Donation Drive
	Hold a "backpacks for kids" drive. With the help of your teacher and principal, ask to send out flyers and be included in the newsletter two months before school ends and let them know what you are doing. You'll want your flyer to be colorful and simply state "Donate your old backpacks to kids less fortunate." List the other details as to where and when they can drop if off and with the permission of your principal you can place a large box in the school lobby with a sign. Make sure to ask for gently used backpacks, nothing with rips or a lot of damage. Then you'll have to recruit some friends to help you go through all the backpacks, make sure they are empty and clean. During the time you collect you can go to some local stores, let them know what you are doing and ask for donations of small notebooks, crayons, pens and pencils to place in each back pack. With the help of your parents, contact the local paper so they can take a picture of you and write an article with the information on how to make donations. Then you'll need to drop them off to a place like a school, boys / girls club or orphanage. You should organize this ahead of time so they can let the kids know about it - It would be a good idea for the paper to take your picture dropping everything off, so that when you do this again next year, it will be bigger and better!

By: Kyle and Brady	Read to Kids
	Anybody can spread the love of reading: it is fun and builds confidence, empathy and public speaking skills. Get with your public library and set up a time to read aloud and then give out books. Or call the principal of an elementary school in your town that has less fortunate children in it. Tell the principal you'd like to come read to K-3rd graders and give them a chance to pick out a brand new book. Once your event is set up let us know how many children you anticipate and the grade level(s) and we will ship you books and book plates. We'd love your help. We can be reached at kyleandbrady[at]myownbook[dot]net.

By: Tyler Page	Calling ALL Kids!!
	You are invited to participate in one of Kids Helping Kids lemonade stand projects. This is an opportunity to not only teach kids about planning, budgeting, advertising and customer service but also about giving back to make a difference in a child's life who really needs it! All kids are invited to join in the fun. It?s easy to get started just choose an option. 1. Hold a lemonade stand/bake sale anytime and choose one of our projects to donate the money raised to. (100% of your designated donation goes to the project you select). 2. Participate in our Annual Lemonade Stand Challenge. It starts each year on June 1st and runs through August 31st. You can sign up any time for the following year. Sign up HERE. And we will then send you? How to run a successful lemonade stand flyer. * Recipes for homemade lemonade. * A flyer for your lemonade stand that you can edit with your own event information. * A budget sheet. * Pictures and information about KHK to use on flyers/signs.

By: MaryMargaret	Pajama Sleepover Party
	This could be for a birthday party or just a general sleepover party. Ask your friends to bring over a brand new set of pajamas, bathrobe and/or slippers instead of gifts. Then find a local shelter to donate these items to. If you don't know where the local shelter is, just Google "homeless shelter" and add your county name followed by the word "county". Not only is this an excuse for you and your friends to have a fun night, but it reminds everyone that some kids don't even have pajamas let alone friends to sleep over.


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	Ok so you are excited about becoming a hero. How do you do it? We have listed here various ways to get started. Many of the heroes have contributed ideas to this section. Pick out what you think will be fun and enjoyable, yet have a positive effect. There is a section on how to get Donations. If you need extra help you can submit a question and get answers - check out "Q&A's". If you are looking for additional ideas, the Links section will point you to youth friendly volunteer sites. GOOD LUCK!