COLLIN MCKAY

Collin McKay is merely nine years old, but he has already contributed more to his community than most adults. He started “Collins Cause” to collect items for care packages to send to our troops over seas serving their country. He also has made contributions to Sarah’s House, a homeless shelter in Anne Arundel County, the Maryland Food Pantry and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Collin wanted to get actively involved in supporting American troops. His organization delivers encouragement to United States military personnel stationed in Iraq. Initially, Collin placed a collection box at his elementary school and received donations of magazines, newspapers, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and deodorant and snack food items. He then began to solicit and receive additional support from friends, neighbors, school staff members and area merchants for the care packages. Collin also organized a fundraiser at the Cheshire Crab Restaurant to earn additional money to send the packages to the troops.

Collin has also made regular contributions of food, clothing and toys to a local homeless shelter, Sarah’s House of Anne Arundel County. He also has given to the American Red Cross, Purple Heart and the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Collin has donated coats to the “Coats for Kids” program and books to various programs that serve children who are not as fortunate as he.

Annually, during the holiday season, Collin and his family adopt a needy family. They provide for the things they need to make their holiday less stressful and more joyous. Collin helps shop for the children in these families, and together with his older brother, he delivers the items to the family or to the designated drop-off points.

For the past several years, Collin has also tried to volunteer his time to the Fresh Airways Program, which is a summer camp for asthmatic children. He suffers from severe asthma, and since learning how to manage it himself; he has been eager to share his knowledge with others. However, his age has kept him from actively taking part in these camps just yet.

In addition, Collin is active in the martial arts and is working on a video with his brother that is geared towards children ages 6 to 12 years. This video is teaching children how to not be a victim of abduction and it utilizes and shares various self-defense skills. This video will be the second in his “Best Defense” video series. Collin regularly contributes to his elementary school fundraising efforts to earn new classroom computers and funds for trips, which some of the students could otherwise not afford. At the age of nine, Collin helps to strengthen the moral fabric of his community and is proving to be an outstanding role model for other youth.