The essay should contain three parts:
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 McDonald's 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 McDonald's 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.
1) 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) 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 with earth-moving machinery, along with 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.
3) 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.
4) It's illegal to throw away paint in California. In Sonoma County a program gives it to low income people, saving almost $500 a barrel; the cost of disposing of it in a hazardous waste landfill.
5) 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, does not splinter or rot, doesn't need painting or staining, requires less maintenance, resists graffiti and even spares a few trees.
6) 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."
Essays and questionnaire, must be submitted to the Harry Singer Foundation on or before April 18, 1997. Upon submittal, entries become the property of The Harry Singer Foundation.
Awards and notification of winning essays will be issued on or before May 19, 1997.
If you are a teacher and would like to have your students work on this project, contact us for special class awards information. Papers for the entire class may be sent together as an attached file or in several email communications or by regular mail to:
1997 Responsibility Contest
The Harry Singer Foundation
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P.O. Box 223159, Carmel, California 93922.