2011 National Winners

Olivia Bouler, 11, Islip, NY

Olivia spent many vacations with family in Louisiana and Alabama and was deeply saddened when she learned of the oil spill affecting much of the Gulf Coast. As an aspiring ornithologist and artist, she was especially concerned about the effect the oil spill had on the birds and wildlife in the region. At just 11 years old, Olivia contacted the Audubon Society to see how she could help and began creating drawings of birds for those who donated to the wildlife recovery funds. To date, she has drawn more than 150 species of birds and distributed thousands of prints; her efforts have helped raise nearly $200,000 for the cause. Some of her drawings can be seen on her Facebook page, Olivia's Birds.

Ethan Daniels, 11, San Jose, CA

At seven years old, Ethan saw a television program about orphans in Iraq and was so moved that he wanted to help. So, for the past five years, Ethan has been "sharing his birthday" with orphan children in Iraq. Instead of birthday presents, Ethan asks friends and family to donate money to help him provide food, winter clothing, heaters and blankets to different Iraqi villages. To date, Ethan's "Sharing My Birthday" effort has raised more than $57,000 to support more than 850 orphans in seven villages. Ethan's good work and generosity have encouraged more than 50 families to follow suit by collecting donations for orphans in lieu of buying birthday gifts.

Alex deMasi, 10, Humble, TX

Alex's call to action came in 2008 when he learned that Houston National Cemetery did not have a holiday program to honor and remember the veterans laid to rest in the cemetery. Alex, with the help of his parents, researched program options and founded Wreaths Across America Houston. The Wreaths Across America program started over 20 years ago and each holiday season, places wreaths on the headstones of fallen soldiers. With the help of thousands of volunteers, Alex collected 28,000 wreaths and placed them at the headstones of fallen soldiers in Houston National Cemetery during the holiday season of 2010. At the event, nine-year-old Alex spoke before a crowd of almost 11,000 veterans, volunteers and family and friends of those buried in the cemetery. In Houston, Alex has spoken and participated at more than 36 events at schools, scouting events, veterans' activities and more, encouraging people to support the cause. Houston's Wreaths Across America program is now the largest event of its kind in the United States.

Neha Gupta, 14, Yardley, PA

At just nine years old, Neha identified the need to raise awareness of the plight of orphaned children and started a non-profit organization, Empower Orphans to help underprivileged children gain basic education and become productive members of society. She has raised funds by presenting at international conferences and meetings and conducting fundraisers. Neha has developed volunteer groups in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and India to help orphans in India and the United States. Her efforts have positively impacted the lives of more than 2,000 children by establishing three libraries with a total of 10,000 books, a computer lab and science center at an underprivileged school, a sewing institution with 30 sewing machines and sponsoring the complete education of 50 underprivileged children.

Brandon Hill, 17, Eden Prairie, MN

After witnessing many of his minority peers falling behind academically and socially, Brandon co-founded The Brotherhood. The organization's mission is to close the achievement gap between Caucasian and minority students and promote a spirit of scholastic and extracurricular achievement through the fraternity. The group began in 2008 with six members and has grown to more than 135 members, with the average member GPA rising from 1.90 in 2008 to 2.81. Members of The Brotherhood come from an array of backgrounds including broken homes, financial hardships and street violence. Brandon assists group members to overcome these obstacles through tutoring and study initiatives, career awareness field trips, seminars with motivational speakers, accredited standardized test prep classes and volunteer opportunities.

Sarah Kladar, 12, Hayden, ID

To raise money to pay for travel, food and lodging expenses for the parents of children needing heart surgery away from their hometown, Sarah sells dishtowels with the charity logo, "Kids Helping Kids Fix Broken Hearts" printed on them. The money raised helps financially-burdened families pay for surgery-related expenses that are not covered by insurance. Sarah has sold approximately 5,000 towels raising nearly $50,000 and helping 20 families. Sarah has partnered with Sacred Heart Children's Hospital in Spokane, Wash. and St. Louis Children's Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. to help identify families in need of assistance. She has organized more than 100 volunteers from her school to help prepare the dishtowels.

Amanda LaMunyon, 15, Enid, OK

In first grade after learning she had Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, Amanda found purpose in helping others through her love of art and music. She began singing and painting her impression of songs, and at the age of eight, various organizations began to ask her to sing, show her art and speak about her experience with autism. She sang at Carnegie Hall in New York City, has had the honor of giving artwork to former president George W. Bush and former first lady Nancy Reagan, has been included in five published books about art and autism and has spoken before both the Oklahoma State Senate and the United Nations. Amanda has also launched a website www.AmandaLaMunyon.com to sell prints of her artwork, and has helped raise more than a million dollars for children's health and awareness of autism. Amanda continues to share her story and art in hopes of making a difference for those with challenges and to help find the cause, cure and prevention of autism.

Joseph Machado, 14, Upland, CA

At age 11, Joseph was in a biking accident which caused severe damage to his head and neck, along with numerous broken bones. Inspired by this experience that left him in a wheelchair for several months and with sustained daily pain, at age 13, Joseph rode 3,000 miles over 29 days across the country from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. to the District of Columbia to raise more than $50,000 for kids with disabilities. Along the way he stopped to meet with hundreds of kids and adults struggling with various illnesses, disabilities and issues – giving them hope and encouragement. Joseph continues to raise funds and awareness through participation in biking and running events, hoping to encourage others to support their communities and working toward his ultimate goal of raising $500,000 to help children with disabilities.

Leah Prager, 12, Dallas, TX

When Leah was six years old one of her friends was diagnosed with childhood Muscular Dystrophy. Wanting to do something to help, she organized a large carnival in her backyard and raised more than $4,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), marking the first annual "Leah's Backyard Carnival." For the past six years Leah has planned, organized and overseen this carnival at her family's home. Leah secures sponsorships from local businesses and works with family and friends to run games, sell refreshments, collect donations and hold a silent auction. The event has turned into a community effort bringing more than 400 people together each year. Leah has helped raise more than $75,000 for MDA to date, and has inspired other kids in her community to start their own charity fund-raising activities for causes they care about.

Michael Young, 17, Scottsdale, AZ

After observing the importance of giving back to the community from his parents early in life, Michael decided at the age of 12 that he wanted to do something to make a difference in the lives of others. Michael founded an annual charity golf tournament called "The Swing Fore Kids Golf Classic" to raise funds for Phoenix Children's Hospital's Animal Assisted Therapy Program. For the past six years, Michael has organized the entire tournament from developing and distributing written materials to securing sponsors, donations and celebrity appearances. The annual event is the therapy program's main fundraiser and has raised approximately $300,000 to date, which has allowed the number of therapy dogs in the program to more than double and a new volunteer escort program to be implemented. Photos from past events can be viewed on The Swing Fore Kids Golf Classic Facebook page.