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Article published Jan 30, 2005 Saving the world one good deed at time Woodstock teens raise money, donate time for good causes
By LISA RATHKE The Associated Press
WOODSTOCK - Toben piped up that he would visit a local woman who has pancreatic cancer. Maya offered to talk to schools about saving the rainforest in Costa Rica. Rosie would continue to search for an orphanage in another country to help. And Andrew suggested they find a stable that would give free horseback riding lessons to a girl whose mother could no longer afford them.
It's a typical Sunday evening for this group of 14- and 15-year-olds who call themselves the "Change the World Kids."
They meet almost weekly to talk about how they can help their community and beyond. They continue to generate ideas and they've been at it for seven years.
"It's really opened my mind to what we can do. Each person can make a difference," said Maya Robinson. "I didn't always necessarily believe that. Now I do."
Since the original six members got together as a Unitarian church youth group, the group has grown to 24.
They've stacked firewood and shoveled walkways. They've repaired a leaky roof and put up clotheslines to discourage the use of clothes dryers to save energy.
They've formed a nonprofit and created a Web site.
And, in their biggest project to date, they raised at least $60,000 and obtained grants to buy land in Monteverde, Costa Rica to protect tropical habitat for the highly endangered bellbird.
"A lot of people when we first started out they were like, 'Oh, they're just kids. A kid can rake a lawn or whatever,'" said Phebe Meyers, one of the founders. "But when we started to do these really big projects everyone got a total new idea about it. It almost seems like in our community that kids can now like make a really big difference. I'm really proud of everything we've accomplished."
In between exchanges about the morning's snowboarding, the smell of potato chips and a poker party some had missed, the teenagers make tea and brainstorm about to how to help victims of the tsunami and children in Third World countries.
They read letters from poor families thanking them for donated Christmas gifts.
They work out the details of weekly community dinners to raise money for the corridor in Costa Rica and they review what each has done since the last meeting.
"We just visited an elderly lady who lives far away from town," said Nika Meyers. The woman goes to the senior center in the summer to visit with friends but during the winter has no way to get there. "So we went and we visited with her and played with her dog and made cookies with her," Meyers said.
The kids juggle the activities between school sports, play practice, music lessons, and available rides.
Phyllis Arata-Meyers, mother of Phebe and Nika, offers support. She attends the meetings, makes phone calls, provides rides, and talks with parents.
She marvels at their dedication and their drive.
"It's as important for them to help an individual as it is for them to meet a global need," she said.
Seven of the teenagers traveled to Costa Rica last year to visit the corridor known as Bosque para Siempre (the Forever Forest), 27 acres of which they and a foundation now own. The land, threatened by deforestation, is migratory habitat for the three-wattled bellbird and other wildlife.
They planted 211 trees to help with reforestation, started a nursery and arboretum and worked on a bellbird census count. They've also established a relationship with a coffee cooperative in the area to sell coffee to support the farmers.
"Going down there and seeing what we're saving, it really rebuilt my confidence in the group. I'm most proud of the actual land that we saved knowing that the bellbird will be able to live," said Julian Jantos.
A small group hopes to return to Costa Rica this spring.
"Seeing the bellbird in person, seeing all the animals, the plants we've been saving, it really made us want to do it more," said Robinson.
The kids hope to spur groups in other parts of the country to form. They offer a DVD of the bellbird project to schools around the country. They hope to generate enough interest in the corridor to eventually raise enough money to buy the whole parcel - 750 acres - for $1.5 million. It's a lofty goal but one they won't shy away from.
They organized a big benefit for the bellbird in early November. They put on a dance with area bands, a benefit dinner at Three Tomatoes restaurant, which the Meyers co-own, and family activities throughout the weekend.
"We've raised about $23,000 for Bosque para Siempre since September," Phebe Meyers reported at the latest meeting.
The teens like the size of the group with its 15 active members. They've become friends, apparent as they lounge together on pillows on the floor.
"I joined because it's a really fun group of kids. They're fun to be with," said Andrew Kennedy who joined the group two months ago. "And it's a nice place to be, and it's really great to be able to do something and to help out. Everybody here is just really welcoming."
The group says it will always welcome more members as long as they are dedicated to change.
"We always make it clear that we're here to work, not to socialize," Nika Meyers said.