Nominate a Young Leader for the Hasbro Community Action Hero Award

You are never too young to start giving back to your community. Service has no age requirement and entrepreneurship in the digital age can start as young as kindergarten. We’re looking for volunteers who – even at a young age – are leading, organizing and inspiring others to serve.

Hasbro Community Action Hero Ethan Cruikshank, left, gives a guitar lesson to a Music to My Ears student.

Do you know one? Nominate him or her for the Hasbro Community Action Hero Award.

Developed in partnership between the Hasbro Children’s Fund and generationOn, the award recognizes kids and teens from diverse backgrounds across the nation who give back in impassioned ways. By celebrating 10 young people for their extraordinary community service and volunteer activities, the award extends the inspiration of young leaders past their own communities.

Last year’s winners included heroes who acted when their communities needed them.

Upon learning of budget cuts at his local school that threatened the music program, Ethan Cruikshank of Mechanicsville, Va., started Music to My Ears. The all-volunteer organization led by middle and high school students provides weekly music lessons to elementary school children. More than 100 children have received the free lessons since Music to My Ears began in 2009, and the group has expanded to other states.

While spending time with family in northern India for her birthday, Neha Gupta of Yardley, Pa., visited a local orphanage. She saw the need for immunizations, books and more, so she founded Empower Orphans. Since its launch in 2009, Neha and the organization have raised more than $1 million dollars and touched the lives of more than 25,000 orphaned and disadvantaged children.

Hasbro Community Action Hero Neha Gupta visits an orphanage in India.

To learn about all the 2014 heroes, click here.

The tradition of honoring outstanding young volunteers continues with the 2015 Hasbro Community Action Hero Awards. Each winner receives a $1,000 education scholarship and a $500 grant to a nonprofit of his or her choice.

Here’s how it works:

• Nominate a young leader aged 5 to 18 on the generationOn website. (Nominees must be enrolled in school, be U.S. residents and be available to travel April 16 – 19, 2015, for a special, expense-paid event in Los Angeles.)
• Nominations must be received by Feb. 13, 5 p.m. Eastern.
• Nominators must be 13 or older.
• Staff phone interviews may be requested of nominees and their parents or guardians.
• Nominators will be notified of the status of their nominees on or around Feb. 26.

For more information regarding eligibility, visit the generationOn website. Please call generationOn toll free at 1-866-269-0510 or email Kathy Saulitis: [email protected] with any questions.