Youth Council President at Children International – UALR Awarded “Disney Friends for Change” Grant
15-Year-Old Youth Spearheads Project to Provide Survival Care Kits to Homeless in Arkansas
Kansas City, MO, April 10, 2014 /3BL Media/ - A 15-year-old youth is leading a project to provide survival care kits to homeless people in Arkansas. Kelli, the Youth Council President at Children International – UALR, was awarded a Disney Friends for Change grant to create the kits, which she will be distributing with The Salvation Army of Little Rock as part of Global Youth Service Day on April 11.
As the Youth Council President, Kelli takes an active interest in improving her community. Children International’s Youth Councils are democratically elected groups of sponsored youth who are concerned about the state of their communities. The opportunity to serve as a Youth Council member provides young people with valuable life skills and enables them to exercise community volunteerism and leadership.
Kelli wanted to help serve the immediate needs of the homeless in Little Rock and give them a greater sense of self-worth for her Global Youth Service Day project. When explaining to Disney why she was passionate about this issue, Kelli wrote, “Children International is dedicated to helping youth like myself and our families overcome poverty. I know what it means to receive help from others and the difference that it can make. When I am driving around downtown Little Rock with my mom, I always notice homeless people on the corner. I often wonder how I can make a difference and show them that I care.”
The survival care kits will include hand sanitizer, wash cloths, soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant, disinfectant wipes and snacks to eat. Kelli and her project team will distribute the kits to the homeless while helping serve a free meal from The Salvation Army of Little Rock.
Julie Hall, Director of Children International – UALR, said, “We are so proud of Kelli’s project and the initiative she has shown in making a positive difference in her community. She is a great role model for others in the Children International – UALR program.”
About Children International
Children International prepares children and youth to escape the traps of poverty by supporting their critical needs, building resilience, and engaging them in transformative activities. Children International accomplishes this by providing crucial benefits and compassionate care through easily accessible, modern community centers. Children International’s presence, programs and supporters have a positive impact on children, youth, families and communities; provide protection; encourage self-sufficiency; and serve as catalysts for change.
For more information about Children International, visit www.children.org.
Follow Children International on Facebook and Twitter.
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1865. Nearly 33 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. About 83 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in nearly 9,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to http://www.salvationarmyusa.org or www.salvationarmycentralarkansas.org.
###
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Christy Howard
Public Relations
Children International
Direct: (816) 943-3730
Email: choward@children.org
Brittany Gelbach
Public Relations
Children International
Direct: (816) 943-3832
Email: bgelbach@children.org
Kathy Barbeirie
Public Relations
The Salvation Army of Central Arkansas
Direct: 501-374-9296 ext. 110
Email: Kathy_barbeire@uss.salvationarmy.org
