Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” This is an inspiring story of two students in Ruidoso who heard his message and took it to heart.
In the days following the “Disciple Now” youth community service weekend, Help End Abuse for Life (HEAL) was presented with another stunning example of local young people doing good for our community. Last week, two young ladies made a surprise visit to The Nest. With them, they toted a jar of money with over $200 they had raised for the shelter through a bake sale they organized.
The two youngsters from Ruidoso Middle School, Alex and MacKenna, had been assigned homework by their language arts teacher, Marin Goza . She challenged them “to make a difference in the world.”
No small endeavor, the assignment is part of a class project, called “Be the Change,” in which the students are asked to look at various issues and injustices in the world, choose one to focus on for the remainder of the assignment, give a presentation about that issue in front of the class and then find ways to impact or solve the issue in a meaningful way.
Alex and MacKenna are two friends who partnered for the project. They chose to work against domestic violence because they recognized it as a severe problem that crosses the boundaries of geography, race, religion, class and sex on an international level. “We chose The Nest because of its mission and its work in our community,” said Alex.
The only decision left to make was how they would be the change. “We both enjoyed baking, so we decided to do a bake sale,” Alex explained.
They got to work immediately and planned all the details, including how they would collect the ingredients. “The project took us about two weeks from start to finish because we had to get permission from our principal and get sponsorships from staff members,” said MacKenna.
The two young ladies show a sense of pride, with humility, with what they accomplished. “It was a lot of fun! We felt really good after doing it,” said Alex.
“The project went really well,” according to MacKenna. “We did better and raised a lot more money than I thought we would.”
Both Alex and MacKenna also credit Mrs. Goza and Ms. Shaw for helping with the project and granting them permission. They mentioned they would like to encourage others, students and adults alike, to do something positive for the community by finding a need and then finding a way to “be the change.“
HEAL would like to salute Alex and MacKenna, two excellent examples of thoughtful youth taking their time and energy to take care of their world.
Pictured are Alex and MacKenna with their donation jar at the Nest.
