Volunteer Work Provides Anderson a Chance to Give Back

Know a great kid who achieved Eagle Scout, did your local soccer team take the championship, or do you know a young person making a difference in the community? They may be our next Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch Whiz Kid honoree.

Each week, Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid.

Submit your nomination in our comment box below or email the information to james.powers@patch.com. Be sure to include all of the following information:

• Nominator’s Name

• Nominator’s Email

• Whiz Kid’s Name

• Whiz Kid’s Age

• Whiz Kid’s School

• Whiz Kid’s Accomplishment

• Whiz Kid’s Key to Awesomeness (what made him/her successful?)

If your nominee is selected, we’ll contact you and will request a photo. Questions? Email james.powers@patch.com

This week's Whiz Kid: Zara Anderson,

Zara, a ninth grade student in the adolescent program at Montessori School  of Lake Forest, has spearheaded the idea of mentoring and tutoring children in a North Chicago school’s after-school program.

We asked Zara some questions about the program's beginnings.

Where did you come up with the idea of tutoring and mentoring children in North Chicago's after school program?

During the Adolescent Programs’s annual project term, another student and I decided on researching and pursuing various volunteer opportunities within our community. We volunteered at Bernie’s Book Bank and Avon Township Food Bank. After the project term ended, we wanted to continue volunteer work and even extend the opportunity out to our other classmates. During the project term we had looked into volunteering at  Forrestal School in North Chicago, but never got a chance to pursue it. This year we contacted someone from Forrestal School’s After School Program, who told us more about the program and offered us a chance to volunteer at the school.

What is the purpose behind the program and how many people from school are involved?

The Forrestal After-School Program provides a fun and safe after-school program for elementary students. Homework help is offered, as well as a monthly theme where students get to learn new things according to the theme of the month. It is a volunteer-based organization. My teacher, Bev Adamczyk, and I recently visited Forrestal for the first time. We both got a chance to help students with their homework, and observe their program. We are looking to extending the opportunity to volunteer at Forrestal to the other students in our school, and to also make this a usual school activity.

Why do you like tutoring and mentoring children?

Volunteering allows me to give back on a more personal level. One-on-one interactions with the children makes me realize how much I can do to help. Their enthusiasm and energy makes mentoring rewarding to me.

Did you have someone who mentored you when you were younger? Who was it and what did he or she do that made an impact on you?

When I was in preschool, my Mom volunteered at my school, teaching sounds to the childen in my classroom. She dedicated both time and effort in something valuable to her. She has been a big influence on me, and this has motivated me to give back to a similar community. Even today she is always volunteering and encouraging my siblings and I to join her whenever possible.

Why is it important to have programs like yours available to kids?

My goal in helping Forrestal is to be able to give back to the community. When given the opportunity to help someone else, everyone can learn something, whether it is patience, humility, or gratitude. My vision is that more people in the community will open up and reach out in helping others and in programs like this.