Taylor Saraiva

Taylor Saraiva, an eighth-grader at Lemoyne Middle School in Lemoyne, led a school drive last fall to assemble 176 personal health kits for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

When she heard a church leader speaking about the needs of hurricane victims, Taylor decided to take action. “I thought that doing something to assist the victims would be a perfect way to show that my school really does care about others who experience difficulty,” Taylor said.

After speaking with the church leader and obtaining a list of needed items from a relief organization, Taylor designed a competition among homerooms at her school to collect toiletries and other personal-care items for personal health kits.

With the support and help of other student council members and a faculty adviser, Taylor created an informational flyer and distributed it during Back to School night, prepared “Katrina Kare” collection boxes, and finally assembled her 176 completed health kits and delivered them to Mission Central, which sent them to the Gulf Coast.

Many other items were donated to the Red Cross and local Goodwill Industries. “I have learned that no idea is too little and no effort unnecessary when it comes to recognizing the needs of others,” said Taylor.