Distinguished Finalist

Natalie Anderson, 13, of Waterford, Conn., a seventh-grader at St. Joseph School in New London, has raised more than $12,000 to establish an endowment that will support children affected by domestic violence and sexual assault. To fund the Natalie Anderson Children's Fund for the Women's Center of Southeastern Connecticut, she has organized a Mother's Day brunch, three community yard sales, a holiday cookie swap, and two benefit concerts. Natalie also is collecting new children's pajamas for the approximately 100 children who pass through the Women's Center each year.