Christian Whitton

Christian Whitton started his service work when he was nine years old. Over the past five years, he has continuously been an advocate for the physically challenged.

Because the houses in his community were mainly wooden, Christian was concerned about the citizens in his community who did not have smoke detectors. He raised money to purchase smoke detectors for his community by selling 2,000 candy bars. He continues to raise money today, though he has switched from selling candy bars to mowing lawns.

Christian, also a young advocate for the disabled, has been on a crusade to have every sporting field in West Monroe equipped with handicapped facilities. He believes that disabled children should not be limited by lack of restrooms or ramps. Last summer, one of Christian's friends, who is physically challenged, wanted to play football but could not, because the field did not have the right facilities nor did the coach know what kind of equipment the boy should use. Christian had the initiative to contact the head football coach at the local college who was able to locate equipment for his friend.

Christian has received numerous awards for his service, including the JC Penny Golden Rule Youth Award. He is an honors student and star football player, who still finds time to devote to others daily. Christian also donated his $1,000 prize from the JC Penny Golden Rule Youth Award to make the fields in his community handicap accessible.