Award recipient wins $5,000 grant for her charity
The Charles Lafitte Foundation (CLF) awarded Maria Keller of Orono, MN its first Junior Changemaker award for her volunteer work to collect and donate one million books to kids in need. As a winner, the 14-year-old will be awarded $5,000 for her charity, Read Indeed.
“Congratulations, and thank you to Maria Keller for showing that kids can make a real difference in their communities,” said Kyra Citron, Executive Director of the Charles Lafitte Foundation’s Kid’s Corner. “We are proud of your work and hope that you continue reaching your goals in helping others in need.”
Keller started her own nonprofit organization, Read Indeed, when she was just eight-years-old, hoping to donate one million books by her 18th birthday. Maria’s early accomplishment means that more than $4 million worth of books have been given to hundreds of thousands of kids who would not have had access. Read Indeed’s new goal is to benefit kids in all 50 states and every country around the world.
The Junior Changemaker Award was created by the Charles Lafitte Foundation in 2014 to recognize kids and young adults who have a profound impact on their communities and embody what CLF’s Kid’s Corner stands for – kids making a positive contribution as agents of change. Award recipients are selected by a team lead by Kyra Citron, the 16-year-old Executive Director of CLF’s Kid’s Corner.
“Kids like Maria are an inspiration to youth everywhere. It shows us all that we can make our communities a better place, and don’t have to wait until we are adults to do it.” Citron concluded.
CLF’s Kid’s Corner strives to encourage kids not only have a voice, but a role in helping better their community. Kid’s Corner is run by kids for kids, placing the power of change directly in their capable hands. Every child is invited to join with CLF and become a grant maker by telling the organization which non-profit organizations are important to them and how CLF can help. More information is available at www.charleslafitte.org/kids-corner.
About The Charles Lafitte Foundation
The Charles Lafitte Foundation (CLF) supports innovative and effective ways of helping people help themselves and others around them to achieve healthy, satisfying and enriched lives. The Foundation supports organizations working in four main areas: education, children’s advocacy, medical research & issues, and the arts. The Foundation underwrites programs that can become self-sustaining with long-term commitment and measurable impact. In determining grants, CLF looks for solutions that lead to independence and self-empowerment for individuals, and to the establishment of effective, long-standing programs and organizations.
For more information about the Charles Lafitte Foundation visit www.charleslafitte.org.