Be A Spark ChampionAll kids need adult support as they strive to find and nurture their sparks. When adults help kids develop their sparks, those kids are more likely to be successful in pursuing what gives their lives meaning and purpose. We call providing this support “being a spark champion.” Any adult can be a spark champion for any child, but most champions come from one of these five categories: family, neighbors, community members, school, and friends.
What Spark Champions Do Affirm the Spark Encourage its expression Model the Spark Provide opportunities to express it Run interference and help eliminate obstacles Teach and mentor Show up (at recitals, games, performances, play, reading, contests) |
St. Louis Park School Staff Have Sparks!
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3 Different Flavors of SparksSomething you’re good at – a talent or skill- like piano, soccer, and writing
Something you care deeply about – such as environment, animals, helping people, or serving their community A quality that you know is special – such as caring, listening, empathy, or being a friend Just a Few Spark Categories Physical Activities and Sports (Baseball, Karate, Dancing, Snowboarding) Creative Arts (Writing, Acting, Drawing, Singing) Help People, Animals, and the World (Fundraising, Volunteering, Recycling) Learning and Reading (Math, Science, Spelling, Stories) |
Kids Who Are Living Their Sparks Everyday
Ryan's Well Foundation: Ryan Hreljac
The Ladybug Foundation: Hannah Taylor
Soul Surfer: Bethany Hamilton
Olivia's Birds: Olivia Bouler
An Inconvenient Youth: Slater Jewell-Kemker
Heavenly Hats Foundation: Anthony D. Leanna
- The Ryan’s Well Foundation grew from the commitment of one boy, Ryan Hreljac, who learned of the great need for clean and safe water in developing countries in his 1st grade class. With the support of friends, family and the community, Ryan raised enough money to build a well in Africa. In 1999, at age seven, Ryan's first well was built at Angolo Primary School in northern Uganda. To this day, the well continues to serve the community. Although Ryan started raising money for water projects in 1998, the Foundation was not formed until 2001. Since then, Ryan’s Well has helped build over 720wells and 910 latrines bringing safe water and improved sanitation to over 760,500people.
The Ladybug Foundation: Hannah Taylor
- When Hannah was 5, she saw a man eating out of a garbage can on a frozen winter day. Hannah was immediately filled with sadness and questions. “Why, why, why?” she asked. “If everyone shared what they had, could that cure homelessness?” Since that defining moment, Hannah has learned about hunger and homelessness. Where society sees a problem, Hannah sees a person.
By 8, Hannah had founded The Ladybug Foundation Inc., a registered charity, and had become the innocent face of the homeless, seeing their plight with the clarity of a child and speaking out for them across Canada, and elsewhere in the world, to one person at a time and to groups as large as 16,000. Hannah has spoken to more than 175 schools, organizations and events. Hannah believes that everyone deserves a roof over their head and enough food to eat, as basic human rights.
Soul Surfer: Bethany Hamilton
- Bethany Hamilton has become a source of inspiration to millions through her story of faith, determination, and hope. Born into a family of surfers on February 8, 1990, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, Bethany began surfing at a young age. At the age of eight, Bethany entered her first surf competition, the Rell Sun Menehune event on Oahu, where she won both the short and long board divisions. This sparked a love for surf competition within her spirit.
At the age of thirteen, on October 31, 2003, Bethany was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark while surfing off Kauai’s North Shore. The attack left Bethany with a severed left arm. After losing over 60% of her blood, and making it through several surgeries without infection, Bethany was on her way to recovery with an unbelievably positive attitude. Miraculously, just one month after the attack, Bethany returned to the water to continue pursuing her goal to become a professional surfer. In January of 2004, Bethany made her return to surf competition; placing 5th in the Open Women’s division of that contest. With no intention of stopping, Bethany continued to enter and excel in competition. Just over a year after the attack she took 1st place in the Explorer Women’s division of the 2005 NSSA National Championships – winning her first National Title.
- When Alex, who was diagnosed with childhood cancer just before her first birthday, was four, she told her parents she wanted to set up a front-yard lemonade stand. Her plan: to give the money to doctors to help them find a cure. Her first “Alex’s Lemonade Stand”, held with the help of her older brother Patrick, raised an astonishing $2,000 in one day. While bravely fighting her own cancer, Alex continued to set up lemonade stands every year. As news spread of the remarkable girl so dedicated to helping other sick children, people everywhere were inspired to start their own lemonade stands—donating the proceeds to her cause.
In 2004 when Alex passed away at the age of eight—her stand and inspiration had raised more than $1 million towards finding a cure for the disease that took her life. Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation was started by her parents in 2005 to continue the work that Alex began. Our mission is simple: to raise money for and awareness of childhood cancer causes—especially research into new treatments and cures—and to encourage and empower others, especially children, to get involved and make a difference for children with cancer.
Since Alex set up her first lemonade stand in 2000—truly exemplifying the saying “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade”—we have raised more than $55 million.
- Caine Monroy is a 9-year old boy who spent his summer vacation building an elaborate DIY cardboard arcade in his dad’s used auto parts store.
Caine dreamed of the day he would have lots of customers visit his arcade, and he spent months preparing everything, perfecting the game design, making displays for the prizes, designing elaborate security systems, and hand labeling paper-lunch-gift-bags. However, his dad’s autoparts store (located in an industrial part of East LA) gets almost zero foot traffic, so Caine’s chances of getting a customer were very small, and the few walk in customers that came through were always in too much of a hurry to get their auto part to play Caine’s Arcade. But Caine never gave up.
One day, by chance, I walked into Smart Parts Auto looking for a used door handle for my ’96 Corolla. What I found was an elaborate handmade cardboard arcade manned by a young boy who asked if I would like to play. I asked Caine how it worked and he told me that for $1 I could get two turns, or for $2 I could get a Fun Pass with 500 turns. I got the Fun Pass.
Olivia's Birds: Olivia Bouler
- "11 years old and willing to help..."...is how Olivia Bouler described herself to the Audubon Society when she contacted them about the tragedy in the Gulf. Now, over a year later and 12 years old, she has raised $200,000 for Gulf recovery efforts.
Aspiring ornithologist, artist, and saxophone player, Olivia wept when she heard about the oil spill in the Gulf Coast, a place where she spent many vacations with her cousins and grandparents who live in Louisiana and Alabama. Knowing birds were going to suffer, she had to take action. Inspired by her hero James Audubon, Olivia wrote to the Audubon Society about her fundraising idea, using her talent as an artist to give bird drawings to those who donated to wildlife recovery efforts. Olivia drew and donated 500 original drawings, and AOL distributed thousands of prints on her behalf. She was named 2011 Artist Inspiring Conservation by Audubon.
An Inconvenient Youth: Slater Jewell-Kemker
- Slater Jewell-Kemker (Director/Editor/Videographer) is an award-winning, 19-year-old director who is introducing her generation to the global youth climate movement.
Born in Los Angeles to filmmaker parents, she has grown up with the idea that she could create her own media and change the world. Slater has been making films since she was six years old, and has been recognized by the United Nations, Toronto International Film Festival, Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, My Hero Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival and others for her filmmaking and activism. Slater has given numerous workshops on film and activism at film festivals and education conferences with the global youth community.
Heavenly Hats Foundation: Anthony D. Leanna
- Nineteen year-old Anthony D. Leanna started the Heavenly Hats Foundation(TM) in 2001 when he was just 10 years old.
"My program was started to provide brand-new hats for cancer patients and other medical patients who lose their hair due to a disease or the treatment of a disease. Heavenly Hats(TM) wants to be able to provide hats to individuals and hospitals in order to help the patients feel better about themselves and to give them the extra courage and hope to win their fight. Hair loss during the battle of a disease can be uncomfortable, depressing and at times even a little humiliating. The hat is just a small symbol of hope and love, but my wish is that it will have the power to brighten the patients day so that they can look to the future with a smile." Anthony
- In the spring of 2004, Austin Gutwein watched a video that showed children who had lost their parents to AIDS. After watching the video, he realized these kids weren’t any different from him except they were suffering. Austin felt God calling him to do something to help them. He decided to shoot free throws and on World AIDS Day, 2004, he shot 2,057 free throws to represent the 2,057 kids who would be orphaned during his day at school. Friends and family sponsored Austin and he was able to raise almost $3,000. That year, the money was used by World Vision to provide hope to 8 orphan children.
From that year forward, thousands of people have joined Austin in a basketball shoot-a-thon called Hoops of Hope. By doing something as simple as shooting free throws, Hoops of Hope participants have raised over $2.5 million. The children left behind by AIDS now have access to food, clothing, shelter, a new school, four dormitories, a computer lab, teacher houses, and two medical testing facilities which he was told would save an entire generation. A second school is now under construction in India and right now, more than 550 children are being fed each day in Malawi.
Austin believes anyone, no matter what their age or skills, can make a difference.
