Mary Grace Henry, 16, of Harrison is the Grand Prize Winner in the national ‘Kids Who Give’ contest, sponsored by Farm Rich. She will receive a $10,000 donation to the charity of her choice as part of her prize.
Mary Grace Henry, 16, of Harrison is the Grand Prize Winner in the national Kids Who Give contest, sponsored by Farm Rich. She will receive a $10,000 donation to the charity of her choice as part of her prize. Henry was chosen by receiving the most votes in an online competition through February 5 at www.kidswhogive.com.
Kids Who Give is a national program celebrating young people, ages 7-17, who devote time and energy to improving the lives of others. All 2012 quarterly winners were awarded with contributions to their favorite causes and entered into the grand prize voting open to the public last month.
Henry was the second-place winner for the fall quarter of Kids Who Give and received $1,500 for her nonprofit, Reverse the Course.
Four years ago, the Harrison teenager started an organization to fund the education of girls in Third World countries with money raised from selling handmade hair accessories. The majority of children who are not enrolled in school worldwide are girls, and to help address this imbalance, Reverse the Course has paid for a total of 37 years of tuition for 18 girls in Uganda, Kenya, Haiti, and Paraguay.
“On this journey, I’ve learned as much as the girls I’m supporting. I’ve learned I have a voice, and I’m using it,” Henry said.
“At least once a month, I sell my hair accessories at shows, boutiques or fairs where I meet and talk with hundreds of people about my efforts and the plight of girls worldwide. And every person I talk with agrees — educating girls is the answer.”
Henry plans to provide support to girls in the Maasai community next. By funding education, she believes young women can help strengthen their communities by pursuing careers, marrying later in life, and sending their own children to school.
