Dallas Crilley’s Kidpreneur Blog — Ways Kids and Teens Can Make Money

The Story:

In 2005 while most of the world was watching the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, 12-year-old Talia Leman was determined not to leave the rebuilding to grown-ups.  She went to her school and organized a trick-or-treat campaign where the kids would ask for donations to hurricane relief instead of candy.

It caught the news media’s attention and after it hit all the network news programs, every school in the state wanted to get involved.  Before it was all over she had raised $226,000.

The Secret:

You can either sit on the sidelines or get in the game.  Millions of kids watched the news and were touched by the tragedy, but Talia knew that in order to organize an army of adolescents it would take a student leader — not an adult.

Now It’s Your Turn:

What’s going on in your community, and how can you make a difference?  Is there crime in your neighborhood?  Form a crime-watch club made up of kids, then call up the news and tell them about it.

Everyone can make a difference, and you don’t have to wait until you’re 18 to do it.  Live your life with passion and purpose and there’s no telling what you can do.  And like Talia Leman, you’ll discover that even the forces of nature can’t keep you down.

The Story:

For as long as 14-year-old Evan Ducker can remember, he was different.  He was born with a birthmark on his cheek.  It’s known as a port-wine stain, similar to the one former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev had on the crown of his head.

His mother at first was ashamed to take him outside, but as he grew older she decided that the mark wasn’t something to be embarassed about, instead it was what made him special.  Evan and his mom went to the library to read up on birthmarks, and were shocked to find there was very little written. So they decided to write one themselves.

The children’s book, called “Buddy Bobby’s Birthmark,” was an instant hit and has earned him interviews on CNN, CBS, and USA Today.  Evan says his dream is to raise $100,000 for the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation, and he’s well on his way with speaking engagements that take him all over the country.

The Secret:

It’s not about how many times you get knocked down, it’s about how many times you get back up.  Too many kids use setbacks and difficult circumstances as an excuse not to try.  Not Evan.  Instead of playing the blame game he got busy and did something about it.

Now It’s Your Turn:

What excuses have you been using?  Born into the wrong family?  Too young?  Not attractive enough?  I don’t want to hear it.

Evan should be inspiration to us all.  When it comes to overcoming obstacles, he literally wrote the book.