State Honoree

Lucy Duane, 14, of Louisville, Ky., an eighth-grader at St. Francis of Assisi, raises money to help care for retired racehorses and keep them from being sent to slaughterhouses. The inspiration for Lucy's fundraising efforts was the 2007 death of Eight Belles, a contender in the Kentucky Derby that fell and broke her legs after crossing the finish line and had to be euthanized. Lucy had a bet on the horse. "I had won money but I felt terrible that the winnings had come at the expense of her life," said Lucy. So she decided to donate her winnings to a horse rescue facility called Old Friends Equine Farm. "The farm is essentially a nursing home for old and retired thoroughbreds," said Lucy.However, Lucy's winnings were small compared to the needs of the rescue farm, so she began sending e-mails to everyone she knew asking for donations. She then recruited a network of volunteers to help her make bookmarks, posters, magnets, keychains and baked goods to sell at horse shows. So far, Lucy's efforts have produced more than $1,000 to help feed, shelter, and care for the retired racehorses. "Animals as well as people deserve to live their last days in peace, dignity, and happiness," she said. Lucy also has spent hundreds of hours visiting with residents of a local nursing home, volunteered at a farmer's market, and worked with refugee children at a vacation Bible school.