Invitation To The 1993-1994 Harry Singer Foundation
National High School Essay Contest

SUBJECT: Responsibility: Who Has It and Who Doesn't and What That Means To The Nation

The essay should contain three parts:

The Problem: Examples of irresponsible behavior and a discussion of the harm it causes.

Solutions: People taking responsibility for themselves and for others and the good achieved.

A Personal Contribution: A creative solution of your own to a specific problem raised in your paper. Not platitudes, but concrete steps to achieve a realistic goal.

Schools entering fewer than ten students, or papers that are too short or do not abide by other rules, will not be considered. Please consult the rules. Excerpts from qualifying essays, will be published in a book and sent to the 535 members of congress, the press and other officials around the country.

                                                                                                              RULES

1) To receive research material, return the RSVP card to the Harry SingerFoundation. The material will include copies of articles to be read before writing the essays as well as a bibliography with suggestions for supplementary research resources. Copies should be made for each participating student.

2) All quotations used in essays must be noted and cited at the end of \the work. The only notation in the body of the paper should be quotation marks. No quote should exceed four sentences. Please do not quote from the articles provided by the Foundation.

3) Include 3 examples in your paper similar to those on page 3, "It's Not Their Responsibility" and 5 examples similar to "Good Things Are Happening" on page 4. Your 8 examples must not be found in the material provided by the Harry Singer Foundation. Consult other written publications, broadcast media, family, neighbors and even a friendly attorney or clergyman for unique examples. It is important to minimize duplications, because the best examples will be published.

4) Answer the questions concerning the required reading.

5) All essays must be typed (English only) double spaced, checked for grammatical and spelling errors and be no less than 750 words nor more than 1,000 words in length. Please submit originals; xeroxed copies are not acceptable.

This year schools have the opportunity to exchange essays with another school. Written criteria for judging the essays will be provided by the Foundation. This will work because schools are not being judged against one another. By awarding prizes class by class, the Harry Singer Foundation offers a unique opportunity for students to learn by reviewing the papers of their peers. To be included in the exchange program, notification and answer sheets must reach the Foundation by February 15, 1994.

If a class does not wish to exchange papers with another school it should submit essays directly to the Harry Singer Foundation. Eventually all papers will reach the Foundation where they will be read and excerpts chosen for publication.

To be eligible for cash awards, all essays, whether sent to a designated school or to the Harry Singer Foundation directly, must be accompanied by applications and answer sheets, completed and signed according to instructions, and postmarked no later than March 1, 1994.

Entries will not be returned, and upon submittal become the property of The Harry Singer Foundation.

Awards and notification of winning essays will be issued on or before April 21, 1994.

Questions can be addressed quickly by phone (831) 625-4223 or fax (831) 624-7994.

A 16 year old crashed through a glass window and sued the Laundromat for not having installed posts in front to prevent such an occurrence.

Someone choked on peanut butter and sued because warning of such a possibility was not on the label.

Then there was the lady who sued the tobacco company because she fell asleep with a lit cigarette and set the couch on fire.

Two neighbors didn't have hedge clippers so together they balanced a heavy power mower in the air over the hedge between them. When one man lost a finger he received $20,000 from the mower company because there was no warning that the mower should not be used for cutting hedges.

Teenagers, on an overnight, lit candles and to make them "scented" they poured perfume over the flames. A couple of the girls were badly burned. They were generously compensated because the perfume company should have put a warning on the perfume "Don't pour over an open flame."

A judge ruled that labels on cans should caution consumers not to drink paint and users should be advised not to use hair dryers while sleeping.

Neighbors sought $25,000 for emotional distress as a consequence of having to listen to bounce--bounce--swish--swish over and over---not in the middle of the night, but when they were barbecuing outdoors. The defendant was a teenager with the desire and determination to become a basketball star.

Parents sued McDonalds because their child was injured on one of the fast-food company's playgrounds. Signs were posted telling parents to supervise their children but the parents claimed McDonalds had the duty to supervise.

A man in Iowa was awarded $506,000 even though he suffered no clear ill effects from asbestos and was in fact too busy working as a plumber to attend all but two days of the three-week trial.

A woman was late 99 times to her government job because she had to get 5 children off to school. She was docked 10 percent of her pay for six months. When she appealed a judge reduced the punishment to 5 percent because "Punishment will only generate stress and hostility."

A teacher refused to give elementary school children new words in reading assignments for fear that new words would cause stress and make her young charges feel insecure.

A jury ordered a restaurant to pay over $3 million to a patron who was stung by a bee.

A student who received bad grades sued the school for giving him a poor education.

A patron sued the owner of a bar for allowing him to do a back flip while intoxicated.

A New York man who deliberately leapt in front of a subway train sued the City for $650,000 because the train didn't stop in time.

A Philadelphia jury awarded a woman almost a million dollars because she claimed a CAT scan had interfered with her psychic powers.

                                                                                                GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING

1) The Southwest Improvement Council (SWIC)in Denver, Colorado is organized into several volunteer groups, each of which has been enthusiastically named to reflect the service its members perform. The Urban Gleaners, for example, hunt for discarded goods and building materials in trash bins throughout the city. Successful trips produce housewares, books and toys which are reconditioned and distributed to the needy. Assorted building materials such as lumber, tile and wrought iron are used by volunteer craftsmen to install safety banisters for elderly residents or repair homes. The Yardbirds clean yards and beautify vacant lots. Friendly Visitors offer companionship to homebound residents. Volunteers also tutor students, shovel snow for residents unable to do it themselves, or they staff SWIC's food distribution center. Trained Respite Sitters stay with ill or disabled elderly while their regular caregivers (usually relatives) go shopping or just take a break.

2) In 1974, the residents of Georgia's Macon and Bibb counties began to notice bumper stickers that read "Carolyn Needs Your Help." Mystified by this call for support, Macon citizens inquired and found that Carolyn Crayton was spearheading a community clean-up effort and a vibrant volunteer program began.

3) Neighbors from 11 towns along the Blackstone River's banks in south central Massachusetts have united to save one of the nation's most polluted waterways. The National Guard turned out machinery, alwith troops of Boy Scouts and scores of local residents. Today, over 500 local residents are on duty. When they discover a source of pollution, they report it and the volunteer group initiates action. The river is recovering.

4) Volunteers in Port Orange, Florida built a playground accessible to handicapped children. Children collected pennies from their schoolmates, local colleges and businesses. Cookbook, sales, softball games and car washing brought in more money. Local civic and religious groups gave generously, and construction companies provided some materials to help build the playground. Two thousand volunteers worked in three shifts for five days supervised by local foremen and experts from Leathers' architectural firm. Everyone got involved. Neighbors served meals to workers, children built bike racks and distributed donated soda, and seniors provided child care.

5) In Broward County, Florida two mobile clinics visit 22 neighborhoods to provide free care to patients whose average income is under $4,000 a year. All 15 physicians and most of the staff are senior citizens who volunteer their time and expertise.

6) It's illegal to throw away paint in California so in Sonoma County a program gives paint away. Disposing of it in a hazardous waste landfill costs almost $500 a barrel, recycling it costs about $5 a gallon, but giving paint away to people who can use it costs nothing and beautifies the community at the same time.

7) Chicago residents take discarded plastic milk, water and detergent jugs, soft-drink bottles, even plastic six-pack rings, to 263 sites. Since July 1989, over two million pounds of plastic have been diverted from landfill space and converted into building materials for more than half of the city's 663 playgrounds. Melted down and molded into planks, these plastic logs form playground walls and seating areas. Initially, it's more expensive, but it saves money in the long run because recycled plastic lasts 30 to 40 times longer than wood, doesn't splinter or rot, doesn't need painting or staining, requires less maintenance, resists graffiti and even spares a few trees. Today the district is investigating using the material for swing sets and basketball backboards.

8) In the North Claiborne/St. Bernard Avenue section in New Orleans, neighborhood residents took action by lobbying the city to pave streets, develop the local park, tow abandoned cars, cite building code violators and receive more police protection. Local businesses were encouraged to improve their own properties. Said a volunteer, "It's contagious. Everybody's pitching in and talking to their neighbors about joining the cause. The old-time community spirit is back again."  Back