Youth-in-Action Star: Noa O.

Youth-in-Action Series: Some of our youngest donors are the same age as our campers. Like Noa, many have attended sleepaway camp and want to help kids with serious health challenges get the same chance to enjoy summer camping adventures. Our youngest donors have important stories to share. About why they give to North Star Reach. About what they learn as they organize fundraisers, service projects, volunteer their time and talents, and more. In this series, we’ll bring you their stories, and we hope you’ll join us in celebrating their generosity and efforts to create positive change in the lives of children who face chronic or life-threatening illnesses.

Youth-in-Action Star: Noa O.

Age: 12

Hometown: Commerce Township, MI

Giving Achievement: As part of her upcoming Bat Mitzvah, Noa embarked on a year-long service project to collect $1,000 worth of recycled bottle caps and plastic lids. She recently reached her goal, and then some, collecting more than 450 pounds of plastic. With help from her father, trunk loads of caps and lids will soon be delivered to a Michigan company called Polly Products and converted into durable, plastic benches.

Noa’s efforts will fund three new benches for the waterfront at North Star Reach. With a few hundred dollars leftover, she’ll buy supplies for the arts and craft program. Her donations support her own favorite camp activities, swimming and arts. “I really like camp,” she says, “so I wanted to help fundraise for kids who might not be able to go.”

Giving Lesson Learned: Noa reached her goal by engaging a network of friends and family, both in person and through a website she created called “Camp is for Everyone.” ”A lot of people were very happy to give me a little bag of caps,” she says. “Friends who didn’t have anything to give just shared my story on Facebook. Everybody seemed to have something that could help.”

Our deepest thanks to Noa for her gifts, and for her inspiring dedication and commitment to helping North Star Reach campers. Stay tuned, as we’ll feature more Youth-in-Action stars in the coming weeks.

(Note: Below are the new waterfront benches.)