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Community Corner

Whiz Kid of the Week

Kate York, sending All-American care packages to troops.

Name: Kate York

 School: Langston Hughes Middle School

 Accomplishment: Kate is the brains and power house behind “An All-American Care Package” project for US troops in Iran and Afghanistan.

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 Key to Awesomeness:

Kate is a seventh grader at Hughes. For the last four years, she and her team (family and friends) create “All-American Care Packages” to send to US troops in Afghanistan. Each Care package includes a box of Girl Scout cookies, baseball cards, Bazooka bubblegum, an “apple pie” cereal bar and a thank you note.

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The first year, when Kate was 9,  they created and sent 300 packages; the next year 600, then 1200 last year. Her goal this year is to send 1500.

“Our All-American Care Packages let soldiers know that – even though the war doesn’t always make front page news - we know they are still there and we appreciate the sacrifice they and their families continue to make for the rest of us. We do it [the packages] to show we care,” she says.

Supporters donate $5 per package – and Kate and her team handle the rest. To see their progress towards their current goal, visit http://www.freewebs.com/showyoucare - and stop and read the messages back from the troops.

Kate is an Honor Roll student an active in Girl Scout Troop 525.  She enjoys and participates in several performing arts -- has played violin for seven years; sings in both the Advanced Women's Choir at school and the Youth Choir at religious school; and is part of the cast in the LHMS spring play - Bye, Bye Birdie.

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