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"TEAM UP FOR SARA"
University Place, WA, Camp Fire Club
Honored in 30th Anniversary "Colgate Youth for America Campaign"
A
Washington Camp Fire Club has won a national award in Colgate-Palmolive's
30th Anniversary search for the country's best community projects by young
Americans. The Ami Li To ("Friends Forever") Horizon (high school level)
Camp Fire club of University Place worked to help save the life of
classmate Sara Shuckhart, who was suffering from Hodgkins Lymphoma. They
also joined the efforts of Sara and her family to add hundreds of new
registrants on the National Bone Marrow Registry, and helped raise over
$200,000 in donations to the UP Children's Fund to help with the enormous
costs of Sara's treatment and stem cell transplant. The most exciting news
is that Sara is home, doing well, and will soon be back attending classes
at George Curtis Senior High. In addition, the UP Children's Fund and new
bone marrow donors will be the additional gifts that keep on giving for
years to come.
The Ami Li To Horizon Club's efforts have won high honors in the 2003
"Colgate Youth for America" campaign. The club's project was chosen from
among more than 2,000 entries nationwide and was recognized with a $100
fourth prize in the Camp Fire division. Six teens from Curtis High
(Courtney Knauss, Kelly Strand, Jennifer Wheeler, Christelle and Victoria
Reyes and Kathy Griffin) and another from Gig Harbor HS (Chelsea Meints)
worked many hours over a three-month period setting appointments for blood
donations and bone marrow registration, doing community education, hanging
posters, handing out flyers, helping set up for a huge dinner/auction in
Sara's honor, and other important tasks in the effort to Team Up For
Sara. This club has given over eleven years of community service to their
community through projects such as Treasure House and the Phoenix Housing
Network (helping children in family shelters), serving as counselors at
summer day camps and even earned a similar award from Colgate-Palmolive
when they gathered donations to send to needy children in Africa as
elementary school students.
Club leader Claudia Knauss, an elementary school counselor in Puyallup
School District, stated, "Sara and her family touched our hearts with
their determination, optimism and desire to help others, even in their own
most difficult 'hour'. We knew other high school students and Tacoma-area
families would want to learn more, and would give from their hearts to
help Sara and others like her. Any one of us could find ourselves in the
position of needing the help of our community. These teens are excellent
organizers and led the way. The community responded in ways far beyond our
wildest dreams. And the greatest gift is that after months at Fred
Hutchinson and Children's Hospital in Seattle, with aftercare here at Mary
Bridge, Sara is back at home and doing fantastically well. She plans a
medical career helping others, and our Camp Fire members plan to do
community service activities for many more years to come."
Each year, U.S. clubs and troops of six national youth organizations --
Camp Fire USA, Boy and Girl Scouts of America, 4H, Girls Incorporated and
Boys & Girls Clubs of America -- are invited to enter their best service
projects for consideration. This effort was launched by Colgate-Palmolive
in 1973 to encourage community involvement among young people, and cash
grants are awarded for the best projects in each organization annually. To
learn more about this project or about Camp Fire USA, telephone Orca
Council at 627-8153.
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