HERO
little hero
Big Heart The story of how one young lady is using her talents to help others. By Emily Griffin
A
t first glance, Carrie White is your typical teen. She prefers her hair in a ponytail, has lots of friends and is looking forward to prom. Dig a little deeper and you will find a heart of gold and a young woman who puts the needs of others before her own. Carrie, a senior at North Little Rock High School, has overcome many hurdles in her young life. When she was nine, Carrie broke her foot. The break healed, but she now suffers from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, a severe and debilitating condition that can occur when the nerves in the leg cease to function properly. Month-long visits to the hospital are common for her. But through it all she’s managed to keep a smile on her face. While staying in Arkansas Children’s Hospital during the holiday season, Carrie noticed the many gifts the hospital’s patients received. She also noticed that the vast majority of those gifts were for younger children—the teens seemed to be overlooked.
Carrie White raised gifts for the teens in Arkansas Children's Hospital. She is pictured to the right with her teacher Patti Abbot and the gifts.
After being release from the hospital she spoke with one of her teachers at school, Patti Abbot, about her observation and that she wished there was something she could do. “Carrie said to me, ‘it would be so nice if a few of the businesses around town could donate some items geared toward older kids.’ I told her to go do it… and she did,” Abbot explained. Carrie started out by writing a letter to the managers of a number of local stores explaining her plan. She visited business owners personally, and on her own. The response from the community was tremendous. Carrie was able to fill 25 gift bags with $50 worth of merchandise. “I got donations from Kroger, Walmart, Hallmark and some other places,” Carrie recalled. She even got a few gift cards to give away or use to buy presents for the teens. “A lot of people could relate to the cause,” she said of Arkansas Children’s Hospital. “A lot of people have had a child there or has known someone who’s had a child there.” This service project is not Carrie’s first. She has been a Girl Scout since she was five, and serves on the North Little Rock Mayor’s Youth Council. She has volunteered for organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Rice Depot, Junior League of Little Rock, Women and Children First, among others. Carrie will graduate this spring. She plans to continue her education and hopes to obtain a degree in the medical field. “I’m keeping my options open, but I would really like to help other kids going through what I’ve been through,” she said. If you would like to donate to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital, visit their website to learn how: archildrens.org.
8 | savvy kids MARCH 2011