WRITING
Amber Kriech
Indianapolis, IN
LIBRARY FOR ALL
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said,
“Life’s most persistent and urgent
question is, ‘What are you doing for
have been answering this question by
working to improve the quality of life and
education of disadvantaged youth.
In 2008, I combated youth illiteracy by
creating a 2,000 book library for an innercity youth center serving 100 children.
For this project, I received The Children’s
Museum of Indianapolis’ Power of
Children Award (POCA) in 2009. When I
Power of Children Gallery, I realized that
as of that moment, my story was amongst
those of three kids who forever changed
the world- Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges,
and Ryan White. Their example inspired
me to use the power of words, action,
and voice in my own life, to continue
making a difference.
In 2010, I was shocked to learn that there
are 29,000 homeless youth in Indiana
and decided to help Outreach Inc., which
serves over 600 of these youth annually.
After learning that a lack of space to
provide adequate services to homeless
youth was one of their most pressing
issues, I chose to utilize my $2,000 POCA
grant to transform their 450 square-foot
Educational Center.
I spent 500 hours managing a twelvemonth construction project, soliciting
donations from 42 donors, and recruiting
45 volunteers, who worked over 2,000
hours. Thanks to my POCA grant and
my volunteers and donors, I was able to
provide Outreach, Inc. with a training/
conference area, private meeting room,
chapel, and library valued at $35,000.
Since completing the center, I have
continued to promote youth literacy
by distributing over 10,000 books
to afterschool programs through
my Rolling Libraries 4 Kids. I have
created awareness about issues facing
disadvantaged youth through media and
and newspaper articles, internet
postings, presentations to community
groups, and my website, www.
goodheartgoodworks.org. Additionally,
I have served on the United Way Youth
as Resources Board and Carmel Mayor’s
Youth Council, and I am currently a
member of the State Farm Youth Advisory
Board.
Jonas Salk once said that, “The reward
for work well done is the opportunity to
since receiving the Power of Children
Award and I hope that my story will
inspire you to use the power within
yourself to make a difference.
Anniversary
24 Inspired
Making a Difference
photos of Amber Kriech