Snoqualmie Valley Record
Thursday, August 10, 2000

Kids' service comes into focus
Mount Si grad fims young civic activists

by BARRY ROCHFORD, Editor

Paul Gordon sees an America where youth can make a difference.

From behind the viewfinder of a digital camera, he's witnessed a Flint, Mich., teen work to reduce school violence. He's chronicled a Pond Creek, Okla., girl's efforts to help young tornado survivors learn to laugh and play again. He's documented a Nicholasville, Ky., middle-school student collect toys to give to child hospital patients.

And now he wants-America to know what its youth can do.

Paul, 19, has garnered attention in the past for his work in raising aware of organ donation. He also filmed a 32-minute movie about school violence while he was a senior at Mount Si High School, from which he graduated in the spring.

He is convinced many of the problems facing today's kids can be alleviated by them getting involved in their communities. During the past several weekends, Paul and his mother, Elaine Gordon, have flown across the country to interview and film youths involved in civic projects.
In all, he plans to interview seven youths to be featured in two television pilot episodes. Paul and his mother have talked to HBO - which may broadcast his movie about school violence,-Silhouettes of Time"-about airing the episodes. They also plan on pitching the shows next year to ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX.

By filming what's right about America's youth, Paul who will be a freshman at the University of Washington this fall with a major in cinema studies and a minor in broadcast journalism, hopes more of them %* want to, make an impact where they live.

"When you give an example like a TV show, that's something to follow, he said.
The kids he's trained the spotlight on come from all walks of life. The Cordons learned of them while Paul was in Washington, D.C., in May as part of the Prudential Spirit of the Community Initiative. The program recognizes a middle-school student and high-school student from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, who have been active let his or her community. Paul was, one of the students selected to represent Washington state.

Seeing all the success stories there, Paul decided more Americans needed to know the positive influences those children had on their local cities and towns. He has completed three interviews so far, and plans on filming the remaining four in the coming weeks.

Those to be featured in the pilot episodes include:

o Brett Byrd - a 13-year-old at Skyridge Middle School in Camas, Wash., Brett and his brother's rock band have raised more than $100,000 for cancer prevention by performing at several concerts and making a CD His motherdied in 1999 after she was diagnosed with breast cancer...

o Joshua Marcus - a 13-year-old at the Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton, Fla., Joshua started "Sack It To You, a non-profit organization that gives backpacks filled with school supplies to needy children. He got the idea after visiting a local child-care center for disadvantaged children.

o Jarrett Mynear -an lI-year-old at West Jessamine Middle School in Nicholasville, Ky., Jarrett buys toys to give to patients at a local children's hospital. Jarrett has been diagnosed with cancer four times and had his right leg amputated at the knee. He got the idea for his campaign after receiving a toy while he was in Seattle for his first bone-marrow transplant

o Shelarese Ruffin a 17-year-old at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School in Atlanta, Ga., -Shelarese, started an intervention program, for middle- and high-school students trying to overcome drug and discipline problems, for which they could be expelled from school. Close to 3,000 students were enrolled in the program in its first two years, and 80 percent successfully stayed in school.

o Robyn Strumpf -a 13-yearold at Sierra Canyon Middle School in Chatsworth,Calif., Robyn's memories of cuddling up with a blanket and a good book was the source for "Project' and Blankies." She bouts fights illiteracy by giving children books and handmade blankets.

o Jonathan Quarles -' an 18 year-old at Flint Northern High School in Flint, Mich., Jonathan is the founder of Students Against Violence Everywhere, or S.A.V.E. He watched hit uncle get shot when he was 7 years old, and now he is working to end violence throughout the school system, from kindergarten to 12th grade. .

o Amy Lavicky - a 17-yearold at Pond Creek-Hunter High School in Pond Creek, Okla., Amy started a toy collection drive after a tornado struck a nearby community in 1999. Children were invited to a church and given shopping bags to select as many toys as they wanted.

The pilot episodes will also feature interviews with celebrities that the youths look up-to.-Paul's already talked to Mateen Cleaves, point guard for the Michigan State. University men's basketball team that won the national championship this year, and Eugene Robinson, a defensive back -who played last year with the Atlanta Falcons. And he and his mother are trying to talk to other notables, such as Dexter King, the son of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and baseball _great Hank Aaron.

Paul plans to have all the footage assembled and edited by the end of October.

In a world where Napster-loving teens clog modem lines while downloading the latest single from Limp Bizkit, and mothers and fathers consult organizers to find out where they need to pickup their children, Paul and Elaine firmly believe getting involved in the community strengthens the family.

"When you're buildings community involvement, you're building a community involvement at home," Paul said. "In these projects, everyone gets involved," Elaine said."
"I'd really like to see all the kids across America get excited about projects where they can go out and serve the community. Kids have such great hearts, I don't want to see that squashed by the time they're adults, she said.

In the Gordon household, community service. is required. A single mother of two and the owner of Elaine Gordon's American Maid Service of Redmond, the family's matriarch expects her sons to be civic minded. She said many children think of ways to improve their communities, but they aren't given the opportunity.

"Little kids have a lot to give. We, shouldn't discount them because; they're little kids," Elaine said.
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Thomas Mosby, director of vocational and technical education for! Snoqualmie Valley School District No. 410, said Paul's work of documenting students who have made a difference, as well as using his skills to draw attention to such issues as school violence, represents how the educational system is changing to better meet the needs of students.

"Paul epitomizes some of these goals we're trying to do in education in reaching a mass of youths and tipping into some of their talents;' he said.

"it may not be easy to get kids involved in the community, but," Paul said, "if they find a cause or, project they like, anything's possible." In fact, 5 he's already talking to his younger brother, Jonathan, about ways in which he can get involved.

"Once he catches that passion and fire that sparks something he loves' he'll take off, Paul said. And he offered this advice to parents who children may want to do something for their community:

"If your kid comes up with a great idea, just totally give him a chance to I try it"