A Green
Valley High student makes a difference in the lives of others
Holly Walker, a Fox 5
GoalGetter is a remarkable young lady from Green Valley. Holly
first learned about cancer when her Grandfather was
diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1998. Holly was only 11 at
the time and it was painful for the young girl to watch
"Grandpa" Walker fight for his life. They would
spend hours talking about his disease, the pain, his
treatments and his love for his family. At this same Holly's
Mother told her young daughter about her own battle with
cancer. Holly's mom was diagnosed with cancer as a child. She
won her battle, Grandpa Walker gave it a good fight but he
passed away in May of 1999.
With her family history and a strong desire to help others
Holly set up a program called Generation Hope, it's designed
to help all children in Nevada who are diagnosed with cancer,
HIV/Aids, sickle cell anemia and other catastrophic diseases.
To get Generation Hope off the ground Holly hit up her
classmates and other area schools. She convinced the kids to
chip in to help the 200 children diagnosed with cancer in
Nevada every year. And her fellow students rose to the
occasion giving enough money for Generation Hope to purchase
22 Spinoza
Bears that would be given to child cancer patients. The
Spinoza Bears cost $150.00 a piece.
Holly also put in a lot of time and effort to put together
215 ten inch by twelve inch felt bags and fill them with gifts
that would be handed out to children with cancer on Christmas.
She paid for this venture with the money she earned working in
a dental office cleaning instruments during her summer
vacation.
Holly also volunteered her time last summer at Camp
Cartwheel, a summer day put on by the Nevada Childhood Cancer
Foundation for the children in Nevada being treated for cancer
and other catastrophic diseases. In addition to her time
working at the camp her organization, Generation Hope, secured
enough money for 300 sweatshirts and 500 t-shirts that were
given to the camp kids.
Her accomplishments are too numerous to list, her energy
appears to be endless, yet she continues to set new goals and
she says she won't rest until her goals are met. That's why
she was recently named one of the top ten youth volunteers in
America. As a national Prudential
Spirit of Community Award winner Holly earned a trip to
the nation's capital and received a gold medallion, a crystal
trophy for her school and a $5,000.00 Scholarship.
Holly Walker will be a freshman at Green Valley High School
in the fall. She'll continue working to help cancer patients
in Nevada, while working hard on her school work and running
cross country and playing soccer. After college, Holly Walker
will reach for the stars, her ultimate goal is to become an
astronaut.
Running
towards a goal
A
couple of dedicated distance runners putting in a few laps at
Western High School. Home of the Warriors, and home of a true
running warrior. Science teacher and cross-country coach Chris
Hendley.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Hendley ran 135 miles from the
floor of Death Valley to the peak of Mt. Whitney. He did it
for himself, and for his students. Hendley says, "That's
the big thing for me is being one of those special people for
the students, helping them bring something special out of them
they don't necessarily know they have."
Hendley leads by example. Running the Badwater Ultra
Marathon was a true test of mind and body. He ran day and
night. Nearly quit after 116 miles. But he set his goal. And
he reached the finish line. You might call him crazy, but to
Hendley that's a compliment. "I hope I have some kids who
have that crazy thought in their heads, that maybe being a
doctor or a lawyer that crazy thought they suppress but, hey
if he can do something crazy maybe I can too." A simple
old fashion lesson passed on to his student athletes.
Hendley suffered to reach his goal, he got sick, his feet
were blistered, and he doubted himself... but he finished. And
he now has a life experience he can share with his students.
"Maybe we can do something bigger and better than we
though we could on the surface. Find that special thing and
make the most of what we've got."
 Mary Lynn Meyers is in the 5th
grade at Luke School in the Dysart Unified School District, Arizona. She moved to
Arizona at the end of December 1998 from Germany. German is Mary Lynn's native
language and her first schooling was in the German School System. During 1999, she
lost her Great-Grandmother, her dog, and her Grandfather. She missed one month of
school in October 1999, when she returned to Germany after the death of her Grandfather.
Despite these events, she maintained an "A" average and made the school's
Honor Roll for all four grading periods for the 1999-2000 school year.
 In January 2000, she was named Ms. Jr. South
Glendale, Preteen City Queen as part of the Ms. Jr. America Pageant. She also
weighted 127 pounds at that time. She really wanted to compete for Ms. Jr. America
-- West Coast in August 2000, so she could talk to people about the dangers of smoking and
drugs. Her Grandfather died of lung cancer brought on by smoking. She wanted
to look her best on the stage and set a goal to lose 30 pounds.
She was able to overcome her shyness that came from
all the teasing she received as a result of her weight and presented herself very well at
the pageant. In fact, she was the 1st runner-up for the Ms. Jr. Arizona, Preteen.
During the pageant, she told the judges and the audience that her goal is become a
famous singer and user her fame to educate people of all ages on the dangers of smoking.
 In June 2000, she volunteered as a
student aide during summer school working with younger children. During the present
school year, her grades have improved even more from last year. She made the
Principle's Honor Roll by making "Straight A's" and she just received the
school's Grand Prize for the Red Ribbon Week Poster Contest for her depiction of the
dangers of drugs.
As you can see, we are very proud of Mary Lynn and
feel she truly deserves to be named a real GoalGetter!
McDonald's and KMSB FOX-11
have announced that Hillary Rosander, a freshman at Catalina Foothills
High School is the newest GoalGetter of the Month. Hillary set the difficult goal
of being the first girl to play football at Catalina Foothills High School Through
her diligent work, she accomplished her goal and was named starting wide receiver on
Catalina Foothills' freshman team this season. Hillary and her teammates earned the
school its best ever freshman football record -- 7 wins and 2 losses. Hillary, who
also plays basketball, is a girl who sets her mind on her goals and then goes after them!
A young boy lives on the east coast, in and out of cars and homeless shelters
with his alcohol and drug addictive parents. He and his younger sister are taken by
Child Protective Services and placed with their grandparents in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Two older brothers are in prison. The young boy is repeating a year in school
due to his sporadic education. Through all the strife, these children have
maintained a family unit of support for each other.
The UPN45 GoalGetter
"Prize Patrol" recently surprised this 7th grader during his science class.
Approximately 100 classmates, teachers and school administrators looked on as he
was presented with a $500 savings bond courtesy of The Dairy Council of Arizona and the
UPN45 GoalGetter program. His grandparents were able to join in the presentation.
A tearful grandmother related the above story also telling UPN45 that her grandson was so proud of his
achievement that he is determined to rise above his family background and make something
of himself. The $500 savings bond is going right into his college fund.
Michael Enis, a member of Keepers Of Tomorrow, a group of 14 to
18 year olds whose mission is to provide service to strengthen the traditional and
community life of the San Xavier District of the Tohono O'odham nation, is the newest
GoalGetter of the Month. Michael has donated over 160 hours to the San Xavier District
Service Learning Project. His work includes helping rearrange the library at the San
Xavier District Learning Center, repairing the community's billboards, and collecting and
distributing firewood.
Michael says that he enjoys service projects that get him close with people and
projects that reinforce cultural practices. Often the Keeper of Tomorrow projects focus on
working with elders and adults who are traditional community leaders. In exchange for
service, they sometimes show their thanks by sharing their time telling others their
stories and/or demonstrating their skills.
"In my community of San Xavier," states Michael, "I ...give back
to the community by volunteering my time. This provides good things for my community and
for myself. I enjoy seeing people benefit from the hard work given by fellow volunteers
and myself. This idea of giving helps me understand the person I can be and it also gives
me the chance to practice my native tradition of giving back to the community."
McDonald's and KMSB FOX 11
salute Michael and the Keepers of Tomorrow for setting the goal of providing service to
their community and achieving it!
Ryan Phipps, a student at Edge Charter School, was our last
GoalGetter of the Month. Ryan single-handedly spearheaded two major projects for the
Valley of the Moon, a historical park which offers visitors mental and spiritual
relaxation through exploration of mineralized rock cliffs, caves, pools and garden
miniatures blended with tropic and desert flora.
 Due to
Ryan's dedication and hand work on behalf a park beautification project, Valley of the
Moon now sports a wonderful new ten by eleven foot sign and a staircase built into a hill
of rocks and tree roots. In ten weeks, Ryan contributed 180 hours of his time on behalf of
Valley of the Moon while providing research, sweat, and team leadership to create a
permanent piece of history. He set his goal and he achieved it! Thanks, Ryan, from
McDonald's, KMSB FOX 11 and everyone
whose life you will touch with your contribution to the Valley of the Moon.
Thanks to Peter Piper Pizza, four GoalGetter schools will be honored this school
year for outstanding achievement in accomplishing community service goals. The Builder's
Club at Dodge Magnet School is this year’s second recipient of the Piper Pizza
Community Award. Dodge's club has given their time to many varied service projects.
 Dodge's
Builders Club is one of the most active service clubs in TUSD. They don't waste a lot of
time thinking-up projects, instead they roll-up their sleeves and pitch-in wherever they
are needed. As a result, they had a very successful holiday giving program which provided
over 60 families with Thanksgiving turkeys, Christmas meals and toys. Plus, they
brightened up the lives of seniors in two care facilities by providing care packages,
cookies, stories and carols.
The students have also assisted AIDS victims, Leukemia patients and other people
in need in various ways throughout the year. In total the Builders Club members plus other
volunteers from the student body, faculty and community have had a positive effect on the
lives of more than 100 people. Peter Piper Pizza and KMSB FOX-11 congratulate and thank the Builders Club of Dodge Magnet
School for their outstanding community service. |
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