Official Kids Mag

A TOUGH TEAM TO BEAT Fayetteville girl's "Team Riley" making wishes come true Riley Ford's motivation for volunteering for the Make a Wish Foundation is simple. She just wants to help. "I just like to know that other kids are having fun," the 8-year-old, who attends Holcomb Elementary in Fayetteville, said. "I like taking their minds off being sick." Riley, who started volunteering at age 6, raises money for the foundation to help grant wishes for kids suffering from challenging health conditions. "We try to help raise money for them," she told me. "With the money we raise we can take them wherever they want to go." It was Riley's parents who got her started. "My parents were talking about it and my Mom explained it to me," Riley said. "I thought I could help kids. It's important to me because I want them to have some fun and not just be sick." The Make a Wish Foundation provides unique experiences for those needing a distraction from the health challenges they face. Riley and her friends may never get to meet the kids who their work in the community helps, but that does not stop her or her team of friends and family. She has a great team of friends and family who make donations in Riley's name and host their own fundraisers that benefit her team. My team name, she said proudly, is "The Fairy God Mothers." "Since Make a Wish is a place where you pretty much make a kid's dreams come true," she said. "I thought that 'Fairy God Mothers' are people who make wishes come true. It's just fun." Riley and her team do take it all with a sense of responsibility and pride. "Yep, were a tough team to beat," the third grader said, with a serious tone. "But, we know we help." FEEDING THOSE IN NEED Springdale girl lends hand at local food bank Rebekah Lamb is full of volunteer spirit and is a kid of few words. She is full of loving spirit and works to better the community in which she lives. Rebekah, age 10, attends J.B. Hunt Elementary School in Springdale and regularly volunteers at the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. But, that's not her only community involvement. "I volunteered for Camp War Eagle," she said, quietly. "So, I decided to do this. I like volunteering and helping other people who are in need of food. Some people don't have food and it's important to help them." Rebekah is obviously touched by the plight of those who don't have enough to fill their stomachs. "It's sad that some people don't have enough to eat," she said. "I got started because I wanted to help. Me and my daddy like to help." Rebekah enjoys the time she and her dad, Matt, spend together volunteering at the NWA Food Bank. It's been a regular activity for more than a year. "It helps people," she said. "It can be really fun. I have fun just being able to help and knowing that I am able to make a difference. There are a lot of people there, like Ms. Trina. She works there and makes it fun." Rebekah doesn't limit herself to volunteering at the food bank. She and her mother have volunteered at other not-for-profits. "I sometimes volunteer at the animal shelter with my mom and sister," she added. "It's fun too. I like animals. I help feed them and I pet them and it makes me feel good. It's very helpful and I think that people my age should help." 11

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