Teens with the Courage to Give

Book excerpt: Lately, troubled teens have been dominating the headlines. But there are other stories that deserve the spotlight--stories about the many teenagers who have dedicated themselves to important, socially useful volunteer work and who will lead their generation toward a more hopeful tomorrow. The fourth in Conari Press' "Call to Action" series, Teens with the Courage to Give profiles thirty amazing young people throughout the United States and Canada who overcame great personal odds to reach out and help others while healing themselves in the process. Each has founded or is linked to a nonprofit organization that is also profiled in the book, to encourage other teens to embrace volunteerism. In these inspiring pages, to name just a few of these heroic teenagers, you'll meet an amputee who runs in the Paralympics and spurs others on with his inner resolve; the son of a cancer patient who created support groups around the country for kids with sick parents; a girl who helped her mother and younger sister as they died of aids and who is now an aids awareness and prevention volunteer; and one of the students from the Littleton, Colorado, shooting who has gone on to create a teen drop-in center. Through their courageous first-person stories, these teens show that they are part of the solution to what ails today's society. Includes an extensive resource guide of volunteer opportunities and a classroom/group discussion guide.