State Honoree

Morgan Turner, 16, of Ashby, Minn., a senior at Twin Oaks School in Fergus Falls, organized a weeklong summer camp for 60 underprivileged children living on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota. Morgan learned from a neighbor about the poverty on the reservation and the plight of Native American children living there. "I have a passion for children, and it grieved me to know that many children were unable to attend a camp due to impoverished circumstances," she said.

First, Morgan obtained approval from authorities on the reservation to use their facilities for her camp, and then recruited 19 volunteers from local churches and the town of Red Lake to serve as counselors, cooks, and other helpers. She also collected food, gently used clothing, arts and crafts supplies, and personal care items for the campers from neighbors and church members. Morgan matched children to counselors, set up training sessions, created schedules, planned meals, developed lessons and activities, assigned volunteer tasks, and oversaw the operation of the camp for the entire week. "It was my goal to create a short-term oasis for these beautiful and deserving children," said Morgan. "It was a great success."