• Name: Alexandra
• Age: 10
• Activity: Fundraising and seeking contributions to her local food bank and soup kitchen
• Honorable-mention award: Nicki Fleming’s Whole World Collection
• Nominated by: Her mother, Alison

As the stories describe Nicki, so too can one describe my daughter Alexandra. She is a hard-working, caring, compassionate young girl who enjoys helping others. A few years ago, she expressed an interest in becoming civically active. She asked her principal how she and her classmates could become more involved in their community, and that led to the start of an exciting project. The principal gave the students time to discuss community/world issues and generate ideas about ways to help.

Alexandra thought that hunger was the most pressing issue in the world today because when people are hungry, that discomfort permeates all other aspects of their lives.

Alexandra thought that hunger was the most pressing issue in the world today because when people are hungry, that discomfort permeates all other aspects of their lives. She led her classmates in organizing “Bike for Bread” bike-a-thons in our town. Over the past two years, Alexandra and her friends have raised more than $10,000 for the Connecticut Food Bank and local meal centers/soup kitchens.

The food pantries and soup kitchens in our area seem to get a lot of help during the holiday season, but that assistance wanes throughout the summer months. Alexandra noticed this trend and has worked to keep the helping spirit alive all year long by scheduling the rides in the late spring. Over the past few years, Alexandra has spent countless hours going from business to business to get sponsors and donations. She has created posters and sign-up forms. She and her classmates have made commercials for our local cable access channel and painted signs for display around town. Her energy and enthusiasm have been contagious.

She has also become interested in the needs of our elderly neighbors. She found statistics about seniors who go hungry—for food and companionship. Now on a regular basis, Alexandra visits our local nursing homes.

Her generous spirit, her compassion for others, and her sense of moral responsibility make her worthy of being the Real Girl of the Year.