MIAMI – From feeding the hungry, to helping sick children and rescuing injured animals, some South Florida kids are proving you are never too young to make a difference.
This summer, 60 ABC stations across the country, including Local 10, called on young volunteers to apply for a "Summer of Service" award.
We went looking for kids in our community making a lasting and positive difference. ABC, working with an organization called Youth Service America, then picked five young winners from South Florida. First up was a girl who just wants to brighten up the lives of sick kids.
In April, 11-year-old Kayla Abramowitz had an idea -- she started collecting used DVDs of children's movies.
So far, she has donated 1,200 DVDs to 15 children's hospitals all across the country.
The "Kayla Cares 4 Kids" project began because the 6th grader knows all about long hospital stays.
Her brother has juvenile arthritis and Kayla struggles with Chrohn's disease.
Watching fun movies helps.
"I just think it makes kids happier because you can't really do anything in the hospital, especially when you aren't feeling well," Kayla said. "Especially if you're just lying in your bed watching TV.
Many of the DVDs came from Kayla's own collection at home. But she didn't stop there. She got local businesses, churches, synagogues and even the Girl Scouts to join forces.
"First it started with me making fliers and handing them around our neighborhood and telling them, 'If you donate DVDs, you'll just make children happier,'" Kayla said.
At the Family Center at Miami Children's Hospital, Kayla sees how her hard work pays off. Which is why this little dynamo plans to keep collecting and brightening the lives of hospitalized kids all over the country.
To learn more about the "Kayla Cares 4 Kids" project, or perhaps to donate your own used DVDs, "Like" Kayla Cares 4 Kids on Facebook or contact Andrea Abramowitz at prowriter@bellsouth.net.