POCA
KIDS CHANGE
THE WORLD
The Children’s Museum recognizes youth
that make significant contributions and
create important projects to benefit others.
The Power of Children Awards (POCA) were
created in 2005 to align with the mission
of The Children’s Museum. The awards
were inspired by the museum’s influential
permanent exhibit, The Power of Children:
Making a Difference, which features three
extraordinary children who touched the
world in unique ways: Anne Frank, Ruby
Bridges, and Ryan White.
Each recipient of the Power of Children
Award will receive a $2,000 grant courtesy
of the Kroger Foundation to continue his or
her extraordinary work, a four-year postsecondary scholarship to a participating
institution of higher learning: Indiana
University-Purdue University Indianapolis,
the University of Indianapolis, and Butler
University and they will be recognized in the
museum’s The Power of Children exhibit.
Each award recipient will receive the
following:
Project: gLOVE One Another
Summary: If you see a need, fill it! That is the philosophy of
Mariah Reynolds who saw her first opportunity to fill a need at
the tender age of nine. As soon as she was old enough to realize
that natural disasters wreak havoc on families and children,
Mariah went to work to provide warm gloves, coats and school
supplies for them.
Funding initially came from garage sales and book sales
she hosted. Now, Mariah credits her website and blog
www.gloveoneanother.org with helping her raise more than $120,000 in corporate
sponsorships and individual donations from around the world.
She has purchased over 2,000 backpacks, filled them, and
delivered them personally to victims of Hurricane Sandy, the
Moore, Oklahoma tornado and the floods in Boulder, Colorado.
According to Mariah, “I believe that providing cold weather
accessories and school supplies helps children stay healthy and
become successful.”
With her Power of Children award money, Mariah will seek 501c3
IRS tax- exempt status, and, in addition to providing needed
provisions to children, she intends to run self-esteem seminars
for teen girls.
A $2,000 grant to continue his or her
extraordinary work.
A four-year post-secondary scholarship to a
participating institution of higher learning.
Recognition in the museum’s The Power of
Children exhibit for at least one year. This
includes a video interview about their service
project.
Anniversary
The 2014 winners are featured here and
were Honored and recognized during a
special awards event on Nov. 7, 2014, at
The Children’s Museum.