Grace Flight isn’t the only organization benefiting from The Leadership Academy and Sarah’s helping hands and generous hearts. Thru the Leadership Academy, the blond hair, blue-eyed Sarah was able to be participate in Operation Kindness, an organization that collected blankets, towels, etc. for the Humane Society.
Sarah, with the help of her mother Peggi, hand made about 16 blankets in 1 week while Sarah was in recovery! She also joined her fellow academy members in collecting about 100 teddy bears for sick children at Trinity Medical Center for the Bear Hugs program. Each bear had a hand written get well note from the students who participated. As if that wasn’t enough charity work for this can-never-give-enough 10 year old, Sarah was compelled to do even more! In May 2008 to recognize and honor the struggle and loss of two of her neighbors (one neighbor lost her hair to cancer treartment and the other neighbor lost her sister) Sarah donated 12 inches to the Locks of Love foundation and at the end of the 2010 school year, she will be trying to organize a hair drive for more girls to donate their hair.
The Sheffield Intermediate Leadership Academy was founded in August, 2006, in an effort to put a "face" on leadership and to allow students the opportunity to both study and practice servant leadership in their community. The academy consists of a select group of students in grades 3-5 who exhibit leadership potential, maintain "passing" grades, and are willing to serve others.
On the first Thursday of each month the academy is visited by a local leader who explains his or her take on leadership and who generates discussion among the students. The speaker's intent is raising awareness of new career opportunities, developing personal leadership skills, and inspiring students to practice servant leadership. Time for reflection and additional discussion follows each meeting. Jake, Smith, a Grace Flight volunteer pilot, addressed the group and delivered a perfect introduction of Grace Flight and the organization’s mission.
"Without the Leadership Academy, Sarah would not have the venue to do this all," says Peggi. "It is the group that gives her the opportunity to share her love to help others. Sarah got animals from Medical Ctity on several of her stays and used them as "infusion buddies. When she relayed this to Mr. G. (Leadership Academy's sponsor), he took the idea and ran with it and came up with "Bear Hugs," a campaign that helps kids who have to endure hospital stays.
The 2008 motto of the Leadership Academy was "Leaders do when others don't!" and the Leadership Academy has certainly done just that and more! From 2006-08, Leadership Academy sponsored a canned food drive, a magazine drive, Pink on the Square Walk for Cancer, collected teddy bears for Bear Hugs to give as infusion buddies to children being treated at Trinity Medical Center and completed a prize walk--all of which helped many others! Heralding the 2010 motto "From me..to we" is a further challenge the school is taking to mold its' students into productive and caring citizens.
Sarah! You are such a blessing to everyone you meet and you’ve touched the lives of countless people everywhere. Most of the people benefiting from your kindness and hard work will in all likelihood never know that they are the recipient of deeds performed from the heart and soul of a child! We can’t wait to see all you accomplish in your next ten years.
Our warmest thanks to Sarah's parents, Steve and Peggy B and her brother Mikey for their support of this exceptional child; to Kevin G and Valorie S (the program's co-sponsor) and Sheffield Leadership Academy's faculty, administrators and teachers for diligent insight and work in preparing future leaders who lead and care with their brains and their heart, and most importantly, to all the Academy students who participated and gave with such fervor and those who support them.
Grace Flight extends kudos to everyone involved in this character building program.
What a team!!