Contest inspires students to give back

Juliana Hicks isn't just an avid reader; the Patchogue third-grader is so passionate about the written word that she sleeps with books in her bed, according to her mother.

So as the Suffolk County winner of the "Littlest Volunteer Contest," sponsored by the Roslyn-based nonprofit Junior League of Long Island, Juliana will put her $100 prize toward establishing a free library at her school, Medford Elementary in Patchogue.

"I thought it would be a good idea to make a free library so that kids that don't have books of their own can get books," said Juliana, 8, who submitted her entry last fall. "My mom saw it in a newspaper and thought it would be a nice thing to do."

The ad asked children how they would use $100 to help others. The contest was open to children age 5 to 10 in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and required them to outline a community project initiative in 10 handwritten sentences or less. Each submission also had to include a plan on how the winner would put their $100 winnings to work.

Though the contest, a first for the organization, was promoted in schools, libraries and community newspapers, in addition to social media sites, Junior League officials said they were still surprised by the number of entries, which totaled nearly 130.

"We projected receiving maybe 50 responses," said the group's president, Georgia Gier, so the final tally was a pleasant surprise.

As were the project ideas that came in.

"I don't know how members voted; one idea was better than the next," Gier said, adding that one of her personal favorites was from a 5-year-old in Suffolk, who wanted to collect small toys for food pantries so underprivileged children could have their own versions of a fast-food "Happy Meal."

Juliana's winning project seeks to provide students in her school who are struggling academically, emotionally or financially with free books they can keep. Her mother, Karen, said they've already collected several donated books from individuals and the Patchogue-Medford Friends of the Library, with a goal of 200 to launch the free library within the school's existing one. Every child who receives a free book will also be given a bag with a bookmark and stickers.

Remembering the sick

Stickers, coloring books, crayons, pencils, bouncy balls and other small toys were stuffed into hospital goody bags created by the Nassau County contest winner, Mustaf "Muki" Dervisi, 11, of Westbury.

"My mom always makes goody bags for my class and for parties," Muki said of his inspired entry, "and I wanted to do something nice for children sick in the hospital during the holidays."

Muki has been in their shoes. He remembers being hospitalized after fracturing his skull when he was 3, an experience that clearly left an impression. "It's not fun being there when you're in a lot of pain."

So he thought that providing sick children with activities and toys would brighten up their hospital stays, as well as their holiday.

The fifth-grader learned of the contest at Bowling Green Elementary School in Westbury, where he is part of the Quest program for gifted children. Four days before Christmas, with his parents and a few school representatives on hand, Muki distributed 50 goody bags to children being treated at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.

"We went up to the children's ward as a group," said assistant principal Frank Lukasik, "and you could tell that the patients were touched by the generosity."

Muki also distributed a goody bag to a child in the burn unit and to children waiting in the emergency room. "I think Muki did an exceptional job with this," Lukasik said. "We're all very proud of him."

In retrospect, Muki said the contest was "a good opportunity for kids to help other kids. I felt sorry for them and thankful for all that I have."

Age not an issue

That was exactly the competition's objective, said Gier.

"Our goal was to highlight to children that it doesn't matter how old they are, that they can help others in the community," she explained, adding that ideally volunteerism should begin at a young age, because it can foster a spirit of engagement and contribution for an entire lifetime.

The contest certainly seems to have had impact on the two winners. Muki said he'd be open to creating another community project in the future, and Juliana's free library will be replenished once the 200 books are distributed.

"It's going to be ongoing," said Juliana's mother. "She's in that school for the next two years."

At a glance