OUR 25 FIRST-PRIZE WINNERS
Each of the following families won $1,000 to donate to the nonprofit of their choice, courtesy of the Walt Disney Company.
1. The Atkinsons of Grand Blanc, Michigan, educate families about children's car seat safety through Crash Survivors Network .
2. The Cayots of Centerville, Ohio, create care kits for parents of critically ill children facing unexpected hospital stays through Helping Hands.
3. The Chambers of Chico, California, raise money for The Jesus Center, a local soup kitchen.
4. The Donahues of Salem, Virginia, started an outdoor activity club for local families called Kids in the Valley, Adventuring!
5. The Elliott-Senses of Greenwood, Missouri, make blankets for the oncology unit of Children's Mercy Hospital.
6. The Fugates of Lexington, Indiana, volunteer with Relay For Life, raising money for cancer research with car washes, bake sales, and more.
7. The Gantz-Barses of Manassas, Virginia, collect, fix, and donate used bikes to needy families associated with Baldwin Elementary School.
8. The Holperins of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, support and volunteer at events at the local YMCA.
9. The Lockards of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, worked with The Dane Foundation to collect personal care items for those in need.
10. The Loftsprings of Cincinnati, Ohio, work for Destiny's Rescue, an organization that rescues dogs from puppy mills.
11. The Lus of Canton, Michigan, collect funds to pay for children's schooling in China through the Hand by Hand Education Foundation.
12. The Milne/Vona family of Merrimac, Massachusetts, ride in an annual bike-a-thon, the Pan Massachusetts Challenge, to raise funds for kids with cancer.
13. The Mitchells of Grand Ledge, Michigan, volunteer weekly at a local cat shelter, the Mid-Michigan Cat Rescue.
14. The Moodys of Puyallup, Washington, remodeled the house of an elderly woman facing homelessness; she was a client of Volunteer Chore Services of Pierce County, WA.
15. The Mosers of California City, California, started Bags4Kids to provide diaper bags and backpacks filled with supplies for displaced children.
16. The Porfilios of Jacksonville, Florida, host homeless families in their church with the Family Promise organization.
17. The Rapps of St. Louis, Missouri, put on a musical revue to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
18. The Scharas of North Freedom, Wisconsin, send books, magazines, and other treats to soldiers in Iraq.
19. The Schirmers of Saginaw, Michigan, founded a local chapter of Cops 'N Kids, an organization that collects books for police officers to give to at-risk kids.
20. The Scotts of Joliet, Illinois, planned and completed a 300-mile bike ride to raise funds for the Haitian Interdenominational Shelter Home for Children.
21. The Solomons of Lyndhurst, Ohio, took people with disabilities on a trip to Israel with YouthAbility, part of the Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland.
22. The Starks of Ankeny, Iowa, worked with Lutheran Services in Iowa to help a refugee family from Africa adapt to life in the United States.
23. The Thomases of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, with the help of a representative of the Children's Literary Guild and the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America, created a program that collects unused school supplies for low-income schools.
24. The Validos of Dumont, New Jersey, organize activities that teach kids in a local public school (Lovell J. Honiss School) about the environment.
25. The Werners of Westminster, Colorado, work with a group of families to help Afghani schools, Habitat for Humanity, and other causes.
