Empowering youth empowers us all.

[Caro]

I don’t normally post articles from non-political websites. I’m making an exception in this case, not just because the article is written by our friend Brent Budowsky, but also because of the subject matter, which shows that we can draw hope and inspiration from our youngest citizens, and at the same time help give them hope, and inspire them. Lauding young people for dreaming big dreams encourages them to dream more, and maybe even to make the world a better place. Let’s empower them. Nominate a kid that makes you proud! From Grandparents.com:

Grandkids That Make Us Proud

By Brent Budowsky

You know the feeling. You hear about your grandchild's shining report card or the thoughtful thing he or she did for the neighbor and you're beaming. That's your grandchild doing right by others and caring for the world. And, of course they picked up that do-gooder gene from you. In this column, we will highlight the grandkids nationwide that make all of us proud…

Kids such as Bobby Nixon brighten America's future.

I met 10-year-old Bobby at an Earth Day concert held in the nation's capital. The show, while aimed primarily at young people, brought three generations together in support of one cause: global warming. When Carole King took to the stage, the younger kids belted out the lyrics, lung for lung, alongside their baby boomer counterparts.

Bobby told me his plan for tackling global warming:

"I am collecting every e-mail address in my class and putting everyone on the list for the Virtual Global Warming march," said Bobby with purpose.

And when he's not busy with that, he's collecting and saving his allowance. Why? So he can buy lightbulbs for his classmates to encourage them to save energy…

"Kids that Make Grandparents Proud" will be a regular feature on Grandparents.com…

We'd like to hear from you about what great citizens your grandkids are shaping up to be. Send stories about your grandsons and granddaughters to [e-mail], and we may select your story for publication. In special cases, we will try to nominate your grandkids for awards we learn about.

Stay tuned to Grandparents.com so you can meet more grandkids who make us proud ... and the grandparents who inspired them.

Click the title, above, to read more about today’s grandchildren. And please pass this on to everyone you know who is proud of their kids and/or grandkids.

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

The excerpt above is posted with the full knowledge and permission, even encouragement, of the author, who wants his essays to be read by as many people as possible.