Community Action
"Colorado sports teams have started a program called Operation Cease Fire. This program is to get guns off the streets and out of the hands of children. The Denver Nuggets, Colorado Rockies, and Denver Broncos have all participated in Operation Cease Fire. The program exchanges two tickets to a game for each gun turned in."
Jamie Sue Bellis, Prairie High School, New Raymer, Colorado
"There are also Crime Watch Zones in most neighborhoods. If there is a sign in the window of a home, and you need help, the people who live there can help you. There are volunteers to help anyone in any kind of trouble."
Jamie Tesky, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho
"Deer River is a small community with a population of about 1,000 inhabitants. From these 1,000 inhabitants $250,000 had to be raised to finance a new community playground. They community held countless fund raisers; local organizations such as churches and businesses donated their time, effort, and money; and even the students helped by collecting recyclable trash and making cookbooks which they sold in the local grocery store...putting my time and effort into building the playground helped me to learn the importance of responsibility. To me this proves that men and women, young and old, can be responsible members of society."
Marvin Scott Verbeck, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota
"My family, as well as the other families in the neighborhood, have decided to adopt a neighborhood watch program so that if something strange should occur, our neighbors would call the police. This is a responsible solution to crime. If people all over the country would do the same, crime would drop increasingly."
Jeremy J. McCord, David Crockett High School, Austin, Texas
"In my community a group of women formed a program for unwed mothers, which takes pregnant women into a peaceful home so they do not have to go through their pregnancy alone. The home provides counseling, job training, health care, and tries to keep the women off of welfare."
Devon K. Smith, Garnet Valley High School, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania
"In Froid the town has formed a community watch program. This program will have more of the town people on the watch for minors drinking, riding their cars around town, stealing, and vandalizing houses and such."
Scott Crain, Froid High School, Froid, Montana
"When my grandpa had a heart attack back in 1974 all of the people in the community took time out of their schedules to finish his farm work along with their own."
Kristen Hoozee, Prairie High School, New Raymer, Colorado
"People are always willing to give of their time. When someone's family member dies in the Stoneham/New Rayman community, a dinner is put on for that family to lessen their burden. This is very helpful to the family and it also shows respect for the dead."
Robert E. Willich, Prairie High School, New Raymer, Colorado
'These people in the community have a responsibility to each other. If they didn't I don't think the town would have that bonding that a lot of other communities [lack]."
Darrick Brown, Deer River High, Deer River, Minnesota
"Another thing my community has done is every year just before the Holiday Season the business association along with the local bank has offered loans that are interest free, if they are paid back before July. Instead of getting cash as a loan, the loan applicant gets Marion Bucks which is money that can only be spent in Marion. This way people can get an easy loan so they have a little more cash around Christmas, plus the community's businesses benefit from the business."
John Gesick, Marion High School, Marion, South Dakota
"The Sunflower Community Action, Inc. in Wichita, Kansas...has accomplished things such as cleaning up neighborhoods, shutting down crack houses, and creating youth programs. This has turned out to be a very positive crime deterrent program."
Mitchell Gerstenkorn, Kensington High, Kensington, Kansas
"Citizens on Patrol (COP) is a non-profit organization made up of volunteer citizens who report or stop crime in the streets if they see it happening. They meet every two weeks to talk about their experiences."
Jason Thenhonen, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho
"About six years ago my youngest sister found out that she needed a liver transplant. The moment people heard about it and about the sort of funding that is needed for an operation like this, they took the responsibility of starting numerous fund-raisers for her. One fund-raiser that was exceptionally helpful was started by my sister's teacher. 'Pennies for Elana', as it was called, asked children and their parents to donate pennies to build a mile of pennies around the school. This fund-raiser spread quickly throughout the entire community and soon people who had saved pennies their whole lives were giving them up to help my sister. It is nice to know that I live in such a supportive community that I can count on in times of need."
Erika Grossell, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota
"In one particular area of Dallas, citizens have formed an
alliance to combat gang violence and drug sales. They work in union with the
police, searching for evidence of drugs, breaking up gang activities, and making
their neighborhood a better place to be."
Keli Crane, Blue Ridge High School, Blue Ridge, Texas
'In Des Plaines, Illinois, there has been a serious problem
with drunk drivers. A group of people have organized a team called the
Drunkbusters to prevent any further incidents of drunk driving. These
Drunkbusters fight with a dashboard video camera, a cellular phone, a CB, and a
police radio. They report anything that looks suspicious to the proper
authorities to investigate. When this system had just started one person could
call in as many as five drunken drivers. It is now down to where two amounts to
a busy night."
Neal Bobzin, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota
"In Los Angeles, CA, Danny Bakewell started a group called the Brotherhood Crusade Black United Fund. Bakewell launched a campaign where he and his members would go up to crack houses and confront the dealers."
Laura Winchell, Luck High School, Luck, Wisconsin
"The goal of Northwest Neighbors for Community Improvement is to make their neighborhood a safer and healthier place in which to live and work. Current projects include a clean-up drive for trash, a crime watch, fixing up the park for children, and improving street lighting. All of these activities reflect an increased sense of responsibility among inner city residents."
Kevin Speicher, Conrad Weiser High School, Robesonia, Pennsylvania
"The City, Inc. is a non-profit organization working with inner city kids and their families. The City Inc. also works for economic development. The group already offers security services and may try to design a line of clothing representing peace."
Scott Arthur Grabe, Barnesville High, Barnesville, Minnesota
"Hired Hands is the name of a program that gives mentally and physically handicapped people jobs."
Erika Grossell, Deer River High, Deer River, Minnesota
"A new approach to preventing violence has occurred in Boston, Massachusetts. A new group known as the Boston Streetworkers has begun to work the streets. The leader of the team, Tracy Litthcut, explained that all members carry beepers. When a problem in the community occurs, the teenagers can call the Streetworkers to come and preserve the peace. Apparently, the system is having a positive affect."
Brandon Kahler, Garnet Valley High, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania
"The Good Disciples go around policing the suburbs and take charge of the streets. They are granted some authority by the state to arrest and imprison gangsters who break the law. The group members are aged eighteen and upwards; it is in effect a gang trying to stop a gang, without the guns and violence."
Justin Lewis, DeForest High School, DeForest, Wisconsin
"St. Jude's Youth Group spent a week in the inner city of Fort Worth making it a little more pleasant. They spent the week cleaning out alleys, tearing down dilapidated garages, and painting buildings that could be used."
Sara B. Sheaffer, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania
"To make our community grow and our school better, a library was built. To make this happen, a lot of people had to donate money and time."
Randy White, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota
"Crime Watch....helps to organize the citizens of an area to fight crime themselves. If children are in danger, they can run to one of these houses for protection."
Keith Parker, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho
"AAIM (Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists) gives a $100 savings bond to anyone whose tip to police leads to a DUI arrest."
Michael Gammon, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois
"CATS is another local organization doing good for the community. This program has been around for three years and the main goal of the program is to reduce the population of stray cats in the Rogue Valley. The program gives medical check-ups, shots, behavioral checks, and social training for a bargain price of $35."
Erik Russell, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon
"Another community activity that got everyone involved was the building of a Kids' Dream Playground. Funds were raised, and many community members actually built the magnificent wooden playground. This activity was designed to unite the community and also give the children a safe place to play."
Melissa Shepanski, Garnet Valley High School, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania