1993-1994 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest

White Hats: People Who Are Trying To Make A Difference

Teacher: Terri Buechler

Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

   1st Tonya Knutson  2nd Neal Bobzin 3rd Sarah Hanson

"From my experiences at work, I've learned that even if a person, on their break, gets hurt, workman's compensation still pays for it. If somebody cuts [his/her-self] with a knife while they're peeling an orange, why should everyone have to take a cut in pay to cover the cost of workman's compensation?"
Tonya Koutson, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota 

"My dad is a 47-year-old male who was fired from his job because the business changed ownership. He found a new job at a seed company. There he did hard labor and was not used to it. He lifted forty pound bags of soy beans and corn constantly. Sometimes he even threw them above his head to stack them. His elbow, back, and groin began to bother him in his first week of work. Later, when he had a half-day off he went to the doctor. The doctor told him he had tendonitus in his elbow, and had inflammation in his back and groin. The doctor prescribed some medication and also a leave of absence. While he was gone his employer claimed that dad had quit. Now dad has to find a new job, pay his own medical bills (because workman's compensation won't pay for it), and he can't claim unemployment because he supposedly quit his former job."
 Jana Cooey, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota    

"Who is responsible for the crops getting ruined every year, the farmers or the government? If the government and the farmer both know that the land is apt to flood, then they shouldn't plant there. They should have it for set aside acres. But if the government and the farmers don't know that the land could flood, then the government should have to pay the farmer for whatever he put into the land. This has happened a lot of times with relatives and family. They don't always get money from the government. If the farmers' land floods, then they should be able to get money from the government, just like people who are on welfare, and those that don't have jobs, get money and goods from the government."
Jackie Welsh, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

The incident happened six years ago and we never received a dime. The medicine that he is on costs him from one dollar to five dollars a pill. Three times a day he takes a handful of pills; that's a lot of money. No one took responsibility for the accident and yet the patient, not the doctors, is the one to suffer. I think the hospital knows what they did to [my father] and they know that it can't be reversed or fixed. So why don't they help him out a little? Pay for his medicine, or other things? In our court case we lost because we had no concrete evidence that the hospital was the one to cause the damage. They offered us a settlement, before the trial."
Kim Johnson, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota 

"In the Argus Leader, our area paper, a story was told [about] a woman [who] gave up her son's organs and then received a $41,000 bill for the removal of organs."
Angie Olsen, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota 

"The recent earthquake in California had my dad talking. He thinks it's unfair that we have to keep paying with our taxes for all of the people's homes that were destroyed. The rich people keep going to California to build big houses on fault lines when they know the possibilities of an earthquake are great. That doesn't bother them because their insurance will cover all the damages. Actually it is our money that is paying for it. Who is actually being irresponsible here?"
Tonya Koutson, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota 

"One family went beyond the call of duty when they invited a homeless man into their house for Thanksgiving dinner. Later they found out that his family was killed in a car accident, while he was working as a teacher. He asked the family for their names and addresses. A year later, and every year after that for 20 years, the family received a Thanksgiving card with a hundred-dollar bill and signed 'Love, Hobo Bob."
Neal Bobzin, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

"Lately we have been having a lot of snow around our area. This has made it pretty difficult for people to get around. I have a neighbor who seems to always be there shoveling our drive after it snows. He doesn't just shovel ours, but he shovels many others around my area. This is really helpful to me because both of my parents work so I'm usually the only one home. It helps especially when I go to school and come home to a clean driveway. My driveway's pretty long and I know that I would have ended up walking in it (deep snow) quite a few times if it wasn't for him."
Tonya Koutson, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota 

'There is a woman in Dayton, Ohio, that watches what our government buys and what we pay for it. Her specialty is stirring up competition among government agencies. Jo Brewer has saved the taxpayers over 10 million dollars in five years. She has saved money everywhere from the space shuttle to the President's communications system on Air Force One."
Neal Bobzin, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota 

"I heard From a relative that a local pub put on a supper, and that all of the proceeds from the food sales went to one of the part-time workers who had been unable to work for over a month due to back problems."
Kerri Knutson, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota 

"During a natural disaster, it is amazing how many people get up out of their chairs and go help people who are in need. Just this past year there have been several large scale disasters in the United States. Floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, plane crashes, and train crashes. People feel lucky it didn't happen to them so they forget about everything in their own personal life just to help people who have been devastated. I am thankful that there are people in America who care about others."
Randy White, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota 

"Some people in our community worked together to gather food donations from people in town, and surrounding towns, to establish a food pantry in the basement of a small business. The pantry provides food for needy people."
Sarah Hanson, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota 

"In my hometown of Centerville, SD, we have a food pantry for the poor. This pantry receives donations from nearly the whole town. Donations are given and special events are held to collect food for the pantry. At dances, instead of paying an admission fee, people are asked to donate to the pantry."
Neal Bobzin, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota 

"In the past there have been several benefit dinners or pancake feeds for people in need. Presently there is a benefit dinner being organized for a fifth grade boy from Centerville who has cancer. During these types of events, the people of the community come together and work for a worthy cause."
Randy White, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota 

"I myself have volunteered my services at a camp for mentally and physically disabled persons for two years. This camp is held for one week. All of the counselors are volunteers. The pay comes from knowing that you helped about 100 people have fun for a whole week." 
Kerri Knutson, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

"At our local mall at Christmas there was a huge tree called the angel tree. On the tree were hundreds of cards [each bearing] the name of a [needy] child. ...People came and took the cards off the tree and later returned a present to the tree for that particular child."
Angie Olson, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

"My community has pulled together [through] many tough times. Cancer and other sickness have struck many people in our community. Sadly enough it recently took the life of a young man. To cover hospital costs, we have had benefits to raise money."
Angie Olson, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

'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

"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

"As an employee of a Good Samaritan center, I have noticed one woman voluntarily coming into the nursing home to visit with the residents, paint fingernails, and fix the ladies' hair, etc. This really gives the elderly people a boost and brightens their day. She is not related to any of the residents and of course does not get paid, but she just feels that  s her way of filling in where family members neglect."
 Sarah Hanson, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

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