1993-1994 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest

White Hats: People Who Are Trying To Make A Difference

Teacher: Michael Nynas

Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

1st Marvin ScottVerbeck  2nd Lindsay Mannelin 3rd Erika E. Grossell

"Responsibility is so much sweeter when it's free will that causes one to help people."
Steve Pietila, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"Examples of irresponsibility can easily be found in government, the media, business, medicine, and everyday life. If you dig a little deeper, however, you can also find many good examples of responsibility in all of these areas."
Mara Bergeron, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"My parents own a resort, which includes six cabins. They have taken on the responsibility of having everyone who vacations here recycle. Recycling helps cut down on waste and on the use of natural resources. Each cabin contains a box for aluminum cans, tin cans, glass, plastic jugs, and newspapers. About three times a week my dad separates the items into five different bags. Then he hauls them off to the dump and puts them into the proper bins. Everyone who comes here cooperates with the system and it works out really well."
Kari Wahlstrom, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"My father is an example of someone who watches out for himself, and other people, too. He went to Florida after Hurricane Andrew. In Florida there were many crews helping to clean up. My dad went to the Everglades to manage a crew. He stayed for three weeks, and would've helped longer if possible. Helpers there battled many things, very large mosquitoes, dangerous animals, no electricity, extensive heat, things many were not accustomed to. My dad also had a language barrier to overcome; his crew spoke Spanish. In these situations one can find many responsible individuals eager to give "their all" to help."
Lindsay Mannelin, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"A boy in our community died of cancer. Before he died, when he was too sick to go to school, his teacher did something exceptional. She tutored him every night and spent time with him, she gave her free time to care for a dying student."
Lindsay Mannelin, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"In 1978, a retired meteorologist decided to volunteer at an after-school tutoring program in Collier County, Florida. He felt that more could be accomplished in a smaller group and extended an invitation to a handful of kids. He soon had a regular group of four elementary age girls meeting Saturday afternoons for tutoring. They are now successful college graduates and give credit to him for the inspiration that changed their lives. This man proves that one person who cares can make a difference. He taught the necessity and rewards of hard work and discipline."
Sara Peterson, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"There are many examples of individual citizens acting responsibly. For example, look at the story of Earle Fisher and Al Mengo. Four or five times a week, they volunteer their time to the Harlem Hospital. They feed, diaper, rock, talk, and sing to the babies in the pediatric ward. Many of these infants are [without] parents, addicted to crack and HIV positive. Earle and Al are just two of the three hundred individuals who donate their time to Harlem Hospital."
Mara Bergeron, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

A fourth example of good responsibility is shown to us by the Xerox corporation. Xerox is highly regarded for its responsibility to the company and to the community. A company as large as Xerox doesn't become a powerhouse in its field by being irresponsible. What could Xerox do for the community, you might ask? Besides their countless billions of dollars being regenerated into the community and their endless leadership, they also provide another important aspect. Xerox allows employees with three years of service to take a leave with full pay to do community work."
Marvin Scott Verbeck, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"Little Tikes has also contributed to the improvement of childcare by designing and building stimulating childcare centers on-site of their company. Little Tikes discovered that the care center was not only needed, but was also good for business."
Kirsten Sinkola, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"When cleaning up the Exxon oil spill in Alaska, Proctor and Gamble donated Dawn dishwashing liquid to clean oil off of animals. That was a terrific example of someone who really had nothing to do with the incident, but helped shoulder the responsibility."
Jeremy Lattimore, Deer River High, Deer River, Minnesota

"Friends of my family are foster parents. They especially like housing babies. They took in a baby that had hydrocephalus----water on the brain. [The child's] medical bills far exceeded any compensation they received. They also took in, and adopted, a crack baby knowing [he] may develop AIDS."
Lindsay Mannelin, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"Another program which is sponsored by local churches and organized service volunteers, is called Mom's Day Out. It gives free [or at] minimal cost, childcare to parents in need."
Kirsten Sinkola, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"It [a trip to Chicago] was for a program called MAD, which stands for Make A Difference. Our main objective was to do just that. In order to make a difference, we helped build houses for the homeless people. At the end of the week, I remember seeing a little girl who was going to be living in one of those houses. She was smiling from ear to ear, and I knew that we were partially responsible for her happiness."
Kari Wahlstrom, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"Little Tikes has also contributed to the improvement of childcare by designing and building stimulating childcare centers on-site of their company. Little Tikes discovered that the care center was not only needed, but was also good for business."
Kirsten Sinkola, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"The Caring and Sharing Store is an annual event that allows children to take home Christmas presents for their parents."
Erika Grossell, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"Deer River is a small community with a population of about 1,000 inhabitants. From hese 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

'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

"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

"Hired Hands is the name of a program that gives mentally and physically handicapped people jobs."
Erika Grossell, Deer River High, Deer River, Minnesota

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