1993-1994 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest

White Hats: People Who Are Trying To Make A Difference
Teacher: Debra Blunier

Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois

1st Michael Gammon   2nd Darrell   Stoller  3rd Jerry Schreck

"Looking for bad things that the media has written about was really easy, but the worst thing was trying to find all the good things that people had done."
Aria Hoekstra, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois 

"I feel that the media only shows the bad in the world, when there is a lot of good in the world. When I did this half of the assignment, I realized that there are a lot of good things that happen every day in this world along with the bad."
Aria Hoekstra, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois 

"I do not think it is the taxpayer's responsibility to finance unplanned pregnancies."
Allecia Finley, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois 

"I have come up with a five-step process to the clean-up of an area. Whether it be a dirty, unkempt park, a polluted river or stream, or a worn down and graffiti ridden part of town, these steps can be applied. First, set an example. If you talk about doing something, but never do it, nobody else will either. Second, put some work into it. Dedicate a certain amount of time to working on the clean-up project. By this time people will have started to notice what you are doing. You may be able to recruit some more help. Third, encourage the city to help. Once you have an area cleaned, you'll need the city's help to keep it that way. Fourth, don't stop once you've finished the initial clean-up. Keep it clean and continue to improve the area. Fifth, expand. If by this time you are able, take on another project. The more you accomplish, the more people will notice and get a similar idea, or help in the preservation of the cleaned area. These steps should lead to an improvement in your environment, and by taking on the responsibility, it will help improve you as a person."
Michael Gammon, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois 

"As society has shifted its values, so have the individuals within it. There is no longer a clear line between the acceptable and the unacceptable. With so broad of a spectrum it is no wonder at all, that Americans are confused about many things. Irresponsible behavior stems from many areas, one of these being confusion. When confused and put up against decision making, one will generally go with their instincts. These instincts, for the most part, lead in the right direction. But what about the times that even the instincts are confused? Usually, when someone is confused, it means that they are lacking adequate knowledge in a particular area. As a nation, we seem to be so confused about so many things that it is beginning to affect our actions." 
Christie Brady, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois 

"Ruth Brinker, a grandmother in Los Angeles, volunteers for Project Open Hand. She spends many hours a day feeding and cheering up victims dying of the AIDS virus. She thinks these people are dying of lack of love and care, not AIDS."
Katie Wettstein, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois

"Andy Lipkis began a volunteer organization called Tree People, which in the past fifteen years has planted over 170 million trees, not just in the United States, but all over the world."
Katie Wettstein, Eureka High, Eureka, Illinois 

"Then there are the Charlie O'Connors of the world. This man dedicated his life to the schoolchildren of Dumont, N.J. Besides coaching most of the sports offered in the school system, he also was the crossing guard. He gave every child a dollar on their birthday, and it was considered good luck to give him high five as you passed him in the street."
Darrell Stoller, Eureka High , Eureka, Illinois 

"Pat Newbury, owner of five McDonald Franchises in the Seattle area, made an agreement with some employees. He agreed to pay them regular wages while they did their homework at work for one hour. He also have them points for good grades. These points could then be exchanged for money for college tuition and books."
John Sander, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois

Ruth McGirt, a part-time nurse, heard gunshots in the street in front of her Philadelphia home. After checking her kids, she rushed out to the street to find two policemen lying next to their squad car. She immediately began performing CPR on one of the police officers who had no pulse and wasn't breathing. Two other police officers arrived and the three of them worked on the injured men all the way to the hospital. One of the officers died in the hospital but the other survived. The two police officers who arrived late on the scene attribute this fact to McGirt. Instead of lying flat in her home to avoid being shot, Ruth McGirt rushed to the street to help and saved one man's life. She said she wouldn't do anything differently if faced with a similar situation in the future."
Michael Gammon, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois 

"Rantine McKeason, along with some of her neighbors, have organized marches, sent out flyers, gone to the city council, arranged neighborhood drug patrols, boarded up old crack houses, and changed an abandoned lot into a playground."
Jenny Crowe, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois

"The levees broke, the water came, and homes were destroyed, but the battle is not over. The waters are receding, but this only marks the beginning of the end. The people now have to start the long journey back to their normal lives. Volunteers are now interested in helping with the clean up. There is a group of teenagers that are having a city-wide Paint-A-Thon, to put new coats on flood damaged homes. Others are helping rebuild and repair the homes."
Beth Blunier, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois 

"Likewise, during the Flood of '93 many people learned lessons in responsibility. There were many people who lost everything, but they continued to sandbag in hope of saving others."
Sara Knobloch, Eureka High, Eureka, Illinois 

"Random Acts of Kindness was the theme of the February 15th edition of The Oprah Winfrey Show. On the show were several instances of responsible actions causing kindness. Oprah started off with her own example. With the aid of a toll operator, Oprah performed, 'a random act of kindness to make the world a better place.' She paid everyone's tolls that drove through after her, having the operator tell the drivers that the car in front of them had paid their $2 toll fee. When asked how they felt, many of the drivers were shocked, happy, and wanting to be kind in return. Several paid the toll for the car following them. One man came back with a $500 check for Oprah to donate to a given charity. It just went to show that kindness will provoke kindness. Oprah's one responsible act moved many other people to become responsible and kind. She went on to say, 'What we hope is, we do a kind thing and it spreads."
Scott Knapp, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois 

"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 

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