Teens For Limbs

I just have to pass along this story from St. Louis because it involves a young woman who's going to be -- no, strike that --IS a real asset to humanity. The Claire in this online article is the daughter of my long-time friend SG.

Raising money for their own organizations, along with required service projects, explains much of the nearly 30 percent volunteer rate of American teenagers, surpassing that of people in their 20s and those over 65, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But Claire Gavin and Ellen Dempsher are volunteers of a different sort. In fact, they are 13-year-olds of a different sort, comfortable with violating the rigid requirements of coolness in all kinds of ways.

[snip]

Straight-"A" students and musicians bonded by their mutual love of the Beatles, Claire and Ellen attended Paul McCartney's 2002 concert at Savvis Center when they were in fifth grade. He wore an "Adopt-A-Minefield" T-shirt. They had no idea what that was about. Claire's father explained it, but it still sounded crazy.

There are kids getting their legs blown off by old war weapons buried in the ground?

Claire (who plays piano and guitar) and Ellen (saxophone and bass guitar) went to McCartney's Web site and clicked on links to read up on the U.N. Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign, which seeks to clear old minefields around the world. "It just seemed sort of unfair to us," Ellen said, "that people our age have to worry about that stuff."

[snip]

Now much more mature women of the world, about to enter seventh grade at Webster Groves' Hixson Middle School, "We promised to raise money," then and there, said Claire, a warm smile baring a mouth full of braces. Ellen is quite tall and slender with dark brown hair and eyes, unfettered by makeup. Talking recently at Claire's dining room table about their fundraising, both wore Beatles T-shirts.

They set a, well, ambitious fundraising goal - $25,000, enough to "adopt" or clear an entire minefield.

That's a lot of toe rings and Abercrombie & Fitch "Flirty Fit" cami's.

Claire and Ellen became a benefit baby-sitting team and ran a little morning summer camp in Claire's backyard for children aged 6 to 9. This is my idea of where Archbishop Raymond Burke says you go if you vote for John Kerry.

Many songs, art projects and sweaty nature walks later, Claire and Ellen sent Adopt-A-Minefield their baby-sitting and camp money, a check for $700. Now, they're enrolling kids for this summer's second annual "Good Day Sunshine Camp," just 39 annual Good Day Sunshine Camps from reaching their goal, give or take a Sunshine Camp.

Needless to say, SG is one proud dad hardly able to contain himself in the email he sent linking to the article.