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From Building a Better School Bus to Fighting Fast Food, These 16 are Fixing the Planet

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Letter from the Editors

Jenna Briand and Sarah Fuss, TakePart.com | Tammy Savage, Executive Producer, MSN

Leave it to a mom to remind us when it’s time to put kids in our spotlight. Jenna, TakePart’s Editor in Chief, pointed out that MSN Causes has covered a whole lot of incredible people, but there’s just one problem: they’ve all been grownups.

Something odd happens when you research kids who are saving the world; you become filled with hope. The future looks, not troubled, but brilliant.

Riley Hebbard was four when she thought of sending her toys to refugee children from Darfur. Now Riley’s Toys Foundation has 10 donation centers in the U.S. Seven-year-old Timmy Tyrrell races go-karts to raise money to fight cancer. And get this, 14-year-old Cassandra Lin gets restaurants to donate their used cooking oil so she can convert it to biodiesel and give it to disadvantaged families to heat their homes. These kids simply floored us, and they’ll floor you too in our story, 16 Incredible Kids Saving the World.

Then there’s our profile on champion triathlete and marathoner Winter Vinecki. She’s just 13. Plus, she’s raising money and awareness for prostate cancer. We also have a gallery of super-cute stuff you can buy to support these kids’ efforts. And we have an interview with sweet little celeb Bailee Madison, who’s working to make a difference too.

Read, enjoy, get inspired, and take action. It’s summer break, after all—the perfect time to get busy saving the world!

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© Photo-Biotic/Photolibrary/Getty Images

1/1616 Incredible Kids

Timmy “Mini” Tyrrell, 7

In 2010, at age six, Mini decided to help children afflicted with cancer after his friend Ella was diagnosed with a brain tumor. His love of go-kart racing gave him a way. He (and his dad) formed Mini’s Mission with the help of Inspired Athletes, and now, when Mini races, online sponsors and donors make each lap count. So far, Mini has raised over $33,000 to fund research and provide direct support to families. “I want to help win the race against cancer,” says Mini, “to help kids like me.” One day Mini would like to build a hospital for child cancer patients, but hopes for a cure before then. His motto? Burn rubber to help another. [Gallery by Heather York]

2/1616 Incredible Kids

Riley Hebbard, 8

In 2009, 4-year-old Riley saw a news report about a school at a Darfur refugee camp. The images inspired her to help the young students by sending her own toys to Africa. She recruited her preschool friends to do the same, then asked a local business to collect toys, as well. Three years later, 8-year-old Riley (with Mom’s help) has formed Riley’s Toys Foundation, created 10 donation centers, and shipped more than 23,000 toys to children in Africa through partner World Vision. It all started with two questions: “Why don’t they have toys, Momma? Can I send them mine?”

3/1616 Incredible Kids

Katie Stagliano, 13

In 2008, nine-year-old Katie planted a tiny seedling in her backyard after receiving it as a gift from her school’s Bonnie Plants Third Grade Cabbage Program. Weeks later, the seedling had grown into an amazing 40-pound cabbage! Even more incredible to her was that the large cabbage fed over 275 people at a local soup kitchen! She decided then and there to start growing vegetable gardens and offering her harvest to feed people in need. She now has 49 gardens in 22 states and has donated thousands of pounds of fresh produce through her organization, Katie’s Krops. Says Katie: it only takes a seedling to grow a dream.

4/1616 Incredible Kids

Nicholas Lowinger, 14

When he was very young, Nicholas began donating his used clothes to a local homeless shelter. One day he witnessed the happiness his old boots brought another boy, though they didn't even fit well. For his bar mitzvah project, Nicholas launched Gotta Have Sole, Inc., to reach out to shoe importers, retailers, and corporations for help getting new shoes that fit to kids who need them. Enlisting over 1,000 volunteers, he’s made over 4,500 donations to over 4,000 children in shelters in nine states, with hopes to expand. He also organizes walk-a-thons and other events. “This is my purpose,” says Nicholas, “saving ‘soles’ one step at a time and helping children feel better.”

5/1616 Incredible Kids

Cassandra Lin, 14

In 2008, 10-year-old Cassandra and some friends created a business plan. They had two concerns: global warming and local families in need of heat for the winter. The friends put global and local issues together to form Project TGIF: Turn Grease Into Fuel, a program to recycle cooking oil, convert it to biodiesel, and donate it to organizations that provide heating assistance. They got restaurants on board, created collection points for residents, rallied neighboring communities, and today, based on a bill they introduced, Rhode Island businesses are required to recycle their grease. Next up: Connecticut! Cassandra says, “If a group of worried 10-year-olds can make a difference in the world, so can you!”

6/1616 Incredible Kids

Koa Halpern, 14

At 10 years old, Koa was already king of the burger busters. That’s how old he was when he launched Fast Food Free in 2008, a campaign to help kids reduce the amount of fast food they eat. A school project (and a junk food-loving exchange student his family hosted) prompted him to dive into the issues: childhood obesity, nutrition, animal and worker welfare, and related environmental costs. “Kids are growing up overweight, animals and the people who slaughter them are treated inhumanely, and entire forests are disappearing just to feed the world burgers!” says Koa, who encourages kids to learn more, take a fast-food-free pledge, and spread the word.

7/1616 Incredible Kids

Grace, Sharon, & Eric Li

Three days after the Sichuan, China earthquake of 2008, Grace, Sharon, and Eric Li—then 12, 10, and 7 years old respectively—launched a relief campaign in their community, writing newsletters and collecting over $6,000, most of it door-to-door. Since then, their local efforts have gone global. The disaster relief organization they founded, We Care Act, enlists and funds young people around the world who lead projects—from collecting books for Haitian school children to donating school supplies for hurricane victims in Galveston, TX. Their motto: “Youth everywhere dream of changing the world. We Care Act makes those dreams a reality.” From backyard fundraisers to a global enterprise in four years: now that’s a good example.

8/1616 Incredible Kids

Dylan Mahalingam, 16

Not many adults know what the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are, but 16-year-old Krishna “Dylan” Mahalingam was an expert at age 8 when he founded The L’il MDG’s. With four other children on his team, Dylan leveraged the power of the Internet to galvanize young people around the world to locally address eight global issues identified by the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000—from combatting HIV/AIDS to ending extreme hunger. Dylan’s objective: “To alleviate human suffering in all parts of the world.” With L’il MDG’s chapters now in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America, he is well on his way.

9/1616 Incredible Kids

Alec Urbach, 16

At the age of five, musical prodigy Alec was playing cello at Carnegie Hall. By the time he was in fifth grade, he’d turned his prodigious talent to filmmaking. Today, at age 16, he’s the founder of Giving From the Ground Up, through which he creates animated videos and workbooks to teach math and healthcare to students in developing countries. He got the idea after attending a benefit for Africa and speaking with local leaders in Ghana who told him their most pressing educational needs. To date, he’s helped over 205,000 children with his learning materials, which he delivers with boxes of medical and dental supplies. “My hope is to fight illiteracy and spark social change throughout the world,” says Alec.

10/1616 Incredible Kids

Jonny Cohen, 16

Walking home from school one day in seventh grade armed with some science knowledge from a college class he’d been taking, Jonny noticed the cumbersome design of school buses and thought, there has to be a better (more aerodynamic) way. He started testing toy buses in a wind tunnel he created in his garage, and now, with the help of a string of impressive grants and a group of “fellow science nerds,” he has begun working with scientists at Northwestern University and MIT to develop a real-world prototype called GreenShield. The fiberglass airfoil attaches to the roofs of buses and redirects airflow, thereby reducing fuel consumption, lowering the carbon footprint, and saving money for schools. Win, win, win.

11/1616 Incredible Kids

Jordan Coleman, 16

As the voice of Tyrone the Moose on Nickelodeon’s The Backyardigans, Jordan Coleman earned a paycheck most kids only dream of. But he decided to use his voice, and his earnings, to give back. He wrote, directed, and produced Say It Loud, a film that explores the importance of education for African-American boys. With appearances by celebrities from Kobe Bryant to Ludacris, the film prompted over 15,000 kids to take the Say It Loud academic pledge. His newest film, Payin’ The Price, examines teen-dating violence. “My goal is to make a film every two years with a message about a social problem that affects teens,” says Jordan, who has already won several prestigious film awards. “That’s my mission.”

12/1616 Incredible Kids

Adele Taylor, 16

When Adele was 13, she noticed some of her peers struggling with words. The research she did on illiteracy in America alarmed her so much that she launched Adele’s Literacy Library in 2008. Since then she’s collected thousands of books for schools, libraries, and nonprofits. She also hosts “Storytelling With Adele,” where she reads to groups of all ages, and the “Read All You Can” competition. Last year, more than 2,000 kids read 18,721 books in one month. Recently, she helped build a solar-powered learning center in Africa that houses 20 laptops, a reading room, and a 4,000-book library. “One day,” says Adele, “I hope to offer scholarships to help high school seniors pursue their educational dreams.”

13/1616 Incredible Kids

Max Wallack, 16

When his great-grandmother developed Alzheimer’s, 12-year-old Max did some research. Learning that puzzles can delay the progression of dementia, he launched Puzzles To Remember in 2008 and has since distributed more than 12,700 puzzles to 1,250 nursing homes and veterans’ hospitals, and speaks about the disease at schools and clubs. Max also devotes his spare time to writing for alzheimersreadingroom.com, researching Alzheimer’s as an intern at Boston University Medical School’s Pharmacology Lab, and volunteering at a VA hospital. “These are my heroes,” says Max, “men and women who sacrificed for our country. It makes me sad they can’t remember their great deeds. I want to provide them with as much relief as I can.”

14/1616 Incredible Kids

Alec Loors, 17

At age 12 Alec Loors watched Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. Then his friend told him global warming was a hoax. So Alec researched the issue himself. Shortly after, he founded Kids Versus Global Warming, through which he makes presentations that inspire kids to take action, from large-scale projects (installing poles across community landscapes to show the future rise of sea levels) to smaller efforts (biking to school). Gore invited him to present the documentary that started it all, and Alec recently started iMatter March, inspiring youth in 45 countries to march in their communities. “We’re going to grow up and face the consequences of what the world does or fails to do,” says Alec. “It’s our planet now.”

15/1616 Incredible Kids

Take Part

Does your child have an amazing service idea? Help your little do-gooder make it happen with tips from the following organizations, all started by kids and dedicated to guiding and supporting young social entrepreneurs: Random Kid, founded by 17-year-old Talia Leman; Kids Change the World, started by 15- year-old Christopher Yao; and Kids Are Heroes, created by 13-year-old MaryMargaret O’Neill. Also, check out these books to get your young philanthropist percolating: Do Something: A Handbook for Young Activists and The Good Fun Book: 12 Months of Parties That Celebrate Service.

16/1616 Incredible Kids

More Great Reading

For most kids, the summer means lazy days and time to hang out with friends. It also means extra time to play games on mom or dad's iPhone or iPad. Better if those games actually teach ‘em something. Check out our picks for the five must-have education iPad apps.

Celebrity Teen Hero: Bailee Madison

by Monica Corcoran, TakePart.com

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Bailee Madison: Changing the World One Lemonade Stand at a Time

Actress Bailee Madison didn’t waste any time getting into show business. At just two weeks old, she starred in her first commercial for Office Depot and has since appeared in films like Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and on TV series like Wizards of Waverly Place. Now 13, her next project is a sly TV movie about Girl Scouts called Smart Cookies. Madison has been equally ambitious about activism. She’s the national spokesperson for the grassroots nonprofit Alex’s Lemonade Stand. The organization was founded by a child with cancer—Alex Scott—who raised money to beat the disease with her first lemonade stand at age four in 2000. Scott passed away in 2004, but her mission has inspired legions of kids to help bring in over $500 million dollars for pediatric cancer research. We recently talked to Madison about her work for the cause. The morning we talked, she had just hosted an impromptu lemonade stand in New York City and raised over $500.

How did you first get involved with Alex’s Lemonade Stand and why is it important to you?

My mom and I always said that it isn’t just about making movies or TV; it’s about making a difference. So we were constantly looking for a foundation that I could grow up with and always feel passionate about. We came across Alex’s Lemonade Stand and I just started volunteering on my own by going to their events. When they asked me to join the team, I said, “Yes!” so loud. I was so excited.

I love that this organization is about kids helping kids. My motto is: You’re never too young to make a difference. I always think that Alex Scott was going through something that no kid should ever have to go through. And at four years old, she was smart enough to say, ‘I don’t think I’m going to make it, but I want other kids to make it so I am going to make a difference.’ To me, that is so inspiring.

Tell us about the most moving story you’ve heard in your work with the organization.

Man, that’s a tough one. Children and mothers and families always come up to me. All of the stories I have heard are so incredible and I don’t know how these families do it and how they get through a day. I met one little girl who is fighting cancer and we are best friends now. We keep in touch and do video messaging together. I love her.

Why is it important for kids to give back?

When you start at an early age, it carries into your adulthood. You already know what you get in return for doing something good. I just hosted a lemonade stand today in New York and this little girl came by with her mom and her mom said, “Would you like to donate your money?” And the little girl said, “Yes!” and she went into her little wallet and took out all of her change and put it into the bucket. She was, like, three years old. Kids have a lot to say. We need to use our voices. And it’s important for us to realize how lucky we are that we have our hair and that we don’t wake up in the morning in a hospital bed.

If you could completely change something about the world, what would it be?

That is a really heavy one. How long do you have? I truly believe that no child should have to go through any kind of life-threatening illness. They should be happy and healthy and able to celebrate their lives. I wish that more people were aware of what is going on. I know it’s scary and people don’t always want to turn on the news at night. But we need more awareness about what is going on with these kids.

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1/9Kid Creations That Give Back

Beading to Beat Autism

Autism affects 1 in 94 children in the U.S. For Michala Riggle, whose younger brother is autistic, that statistic means more research for treatment is needed. Since she started beading and selling bracelets, she’s raised over $300,000. [Gallery by Megan Bedard]

2/9Kid Creations That Give Back

The Ladybug Foundation

Hannah Taylor, 16, has been helping the homeless since she was five. She started by making a ladybug tin and collecting donations. Now she’s written a children’s book and has directly and indirectly raised $2 million for the homeless.

3/9Kid Creations That Give Back

Calista Cares

When the local Special Olympics program lost major funding, seven-year-old Calista Fierce got crafting. She creates a wide range of gift items to raise money for kids—including her brother—who loves to compete in the Special Olympics.

4/9Kid Creations That Give Back

Safer Hair Accessories

Young Mya Joy was the unexpected victim of a traumatic brain injury when she hit her head two years ago while wearing a hard hair tie. Still healing from the injury, she and her sister Kyra make and sell soft hair ties to ensure it won’t happen to other kids.

5/9Kid Creations That Give Back

Good Luck Spiders

When a terrible illness hits, we lean on luck. Megan Swift sells beaded good luck spiders and colorful earrings and donates all profits to support breast cancer research, treatment, and education, in honor of her grandma.

6/9Kid Creations That Give Back

Fresh Artists

Fresh Artists supports art programs for low-income students. They identify extraordinary pieces created by these kids, reproduce them, and give them as gifts to donors so that they appear in prominent places where these children’s voices would otherwise be absent.

7/9Kid Creations That Give Back

Creations 4 Others

Thirteen-year-old Abby Schlegl, a published author, makes T-shirt designs to raise funds for children at Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. She calls her work “Art for Charity.” Her 9-year-old sister Bella does the same to raise money for dog shelters.

8/9Kid Creations That Give Back

Take Part

If kids are helping us, we need to help them! You can make a difference in a child’s life by donating gently used children’s books to your local library, Goodwill, community center, or homeless shelter.

9/9Kid Creations That Give Back