State Honoree

Tegan Homol, 13, of Casa Grande, Ariz., a home-schooled seventh-grader, helped lead an effort by her 4-H group to collect 72 pairs of prescription eyeglasses for a local optometrist to distribute to people in need in Mexico. One of Tegan's 4-H leaders had suggested the group help the father of a fellow 4-Her collect glasses for an annual mission trip to Mexico. But before the project got off the ground, the leader passed away. Nearly two years later, Tegan's mother suggested that the group resurrect the project. "It was important to honor our leader and show that we cared," said Tegan.

Tegan wrote emails to friends and family to ask for their old eyeglasses, and began talking to everyone she knew about the collection effort. Then she made arrangements to pick up donated glasses. She recruited others to join in the search, and helped decorate a box for donations that was placed at the local 4-H county extension office. Tegan said this project taught her how something so simple can be so important to others. From listening to the optometrist's stories, "I learned what it was like for someone to put a pair of glasses on and see' for the first time," she said. "Glasses aren't even considered a luxury here in the United States, but to a poor person in a poor country, it may be everything to them!" Tegan said she would like to travel to Mexico someday to help distribute glasses.