INSPIRING STORIES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY 75 KIDS WHO CHANGED THEIR WORLDS

Kids talk about how they’ve helped others in a children’s book by author Nick Katsoris’s Loukoumi Make a Difference Foundation in partnership with the creators of the Broadway musical Come From Away.

Mr. Rogers gave sage advice that David Hein and Irene Sankoff, the creators of Come From Away, quote in their foreword to this book for roughly ages 8 and up: “Look for the helpers.” That tip catches the spirit of this collection of brief first-person reports from 75 children and teens, each shown in a color photo. “These young leaders teach by example and remind us all that we have the power to better our communities and make a real difference,” Hein and Sankoff say. A notable example is Adelyn Brazil of Crown Point, Indiana, who, at the age of 7, launched a campaign to raise funds to erect Little Free Library boxes throughout her town. Another contributor is New Yorker Michael Colombos, who has traveled overseas to deliver supplies to orphanages in Aegio, Greece. His reward was “making a difference in the lives of these children as much as they are making a difference by being a part of mine!” Several of the projects described here have expanded significantly, including Ruby Kate Chitsey’s “Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents” program. At first, Ruby aimed to fill three wishes for nursing home residents in Arkansas (“they always asked for simple items like snacks, clothes that fit, or food”), but her work led to the formation of a nonprofit organization that has raised more than $250,000 and has plans for chapters in other states. In her entry, Julia Katsoris (whose projects have included raking leaves in Astoria Park in Queens, New York) expresses a common theme: “When you put your mind to something, you can accomplish anything.” School and religious or other groups may find children’s stories to be a good source of ideas for projects, though a lengthy section profiling recipients of the Loukoumi Dream Day Contest winners may strike some readers as excessive self-promotion by a sponsor of this book.

A compendium of compassion by can-do kids who encourage others to share some love.