David Adamiec

For the past three years, David Adamiec, aged 14, has collected merchandise and assembled "packs," the Kid-Pack and the School Pack, for underprivileged children.

The Kid-Pack is delivered to Division of Family Services, for social workers to distribute to a child who had been separated from their parent(s) due to arrest. Child abuse and neglect are among the top reasons for their separation. Frightened children, on their way to an unfamiliar foster family are given these kid-packs which contain more than 40 items, all that a child would need for 5 days. Contents include, but are not limited to, a hand-sewn carryall bag, toothbrush and toothpaste, soap and shampoo, powder, lotion, age appropriate books, a game, writing tools, notepad, slacks, shirts, underwear and socks. In most instances these packs are all the children have to call their own, since they leave their homes with nothing more than what they are wearing. Each pack is assembled according to gender and age.

The second pack, The School Pack, is offered to area schools for families unable to supply their children with school backpacks and supplies for the first day of school. Contents include, but are not limited to, a new backpack, crayons, pencils and pens, sharpeners, note pads, spiral notebooks, binders, scissors, dictionary, loose-leaf paper, ruler, toothbrush, toothpaste, lunch box and snacks. These packs are also filled according to age and gender.

David contacts major corporations requesting merchandise for both types of packs. He contacts store managers for merchandise or discounts and sends out hundreds of request letters to friends for help. He also advertises in local papers and sets up drop-boxes in busy locations in stores. This past summer, David collected $6,000 in cash and merchandise for his school-pack mission. He slept in the living room because he had to use his bedroom as his warehouse. From his donations, he was able to supply 18 schools with all the School Packs they requested for families and supply the Division of Family Services with hundreds of Kid-Packs for social workers to distribute.

David is very busy getting other teens involved in his community service. He speaks to school children, churches, organizations, and at domestic violence awareness rallies, and to most anyone who will lend an ear to his mission for needy children. In addition, he is currently developing a web site.

David has received many awards, some national, for his community service missions. A friend that David met at an awards ceremony in Washington, DC last year has begun to assemble School Packs in California for this coming school year.

Establishing a trustworthy name, at 14, has been a valuable asset to David's packs. The newspapers have called him the "Kid-Pack Kid." Due to the combination of the awards and the press, David has built up community awareness that supports him tremendously. David knows the need and knows that even if only in a small corner of his state, he has made a difference in how a child feels about himself and perhaps has even helped to create a smile.

In David's spare time he teaches Sunday school and bible school. His guidance counselor describes him as, "the quiet type, with a smile that can light up a room." Further, she says, "he is the type of child that will go out of his way to open a door for someone, or offer a grocery cart. He is very special and on a real mission."

David has just become an ambassador for the Heart of America Foundation. In this position, he will give speeches about his community service in aims of getting others involved in similar types of work for children.