Stone Soup - Media Reviews - Single and Savvy

The Montclarion September 27, 2002

Organization puts out call for young heroes

By B. Roscoe
STAFF WRITER

The word hero has been bandied about with such increasing frequency that it is in danger of losing its meaning. But a non profit group based in Half Moon Bay, which kicked off an initiative at Fremont High School this Sept. 11, hopes to ensure that does not happen.

The Celebration of Heroes Campaign, a national call for people to help others, aims to create a larger culture of altruism -- beginning in Oakland.

The campaign is being launched in conjunction with the publication of Random House's "Stone Soup for the World: Life Changing Stories of Everyday Heroes," a 400-page book featuring 100 stories of everyday people making significant positive change in their own lives and the lives of others.

We are honored that Oakland is the first city to kick off this campaign," Dennis Chaconas, superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District, said in a prepared statement.

The young heroes of Oakland contest, part of the Celebration of Heroes Campaign, is relying on public nominations of high school students who have demonstrated a extraordinary sense of community spirit. The winners, one from each high school in Oakland, will be presented with the Stone Soup Community Hero Award by Oakland fire captain Ray Gatchalian on Nov. 1 at Fremont High School.

"We're looking for young people who are bing heroes by helping others," said Marianne Larned, author of "Stone Soup for the World" and executive director of the Stone SOup Leadership Institute in Half Moon Bay.

"The campaign is designed to ignite the heroic spirit in every one of us - and rekindle the spirit of giving by honoring everyday heroes, passing on their legacy and inspiring others to join, city by city and country by country.

The deadline for nominations is Tuesday. Nomination forms are available at the high schools or online a www.soup4world.com. One winner will be featured in another book, Stone Soup for the Teen World, to be published by Random House next year.

To prepare for the Young Heroes award ceremony at Fremont High, the community is invited to pitch in with beautification efforts taking place at the school from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow. Additional support for the clean-up event comes from Starbucks in Fruitvale, the East Bay Conservation Corps and the Oakland Fire Department.

The Stone Soup Leadership Institute is the learning-in-action arm of the Stone Soup Foundation, a nonprofit education organization founded in 1997, which provides training and curriculum for developing publications partnerships that build healthier communities. Contact Stone Soup Leadership Institute at 415-646-0416.