items of interest

with contributions from Cathy Weaver, Ginny Nilsen, David O'Reilly

"In 1994, Paul Lessard received the Carnegie Hero Commission Fund Award for helping rescue a woman trapped in her car during a flash flood. With that award, Lessard started the Lighthouse Project. ... It brings real-life heroes to children, face-to-face. 'The mission of the Lighthouse Project is to go into schools and to expose students to people of character,' Lessard explains with the passion of a man who is on a mission. ...

"People like Herman Boone (the football coach of the actual Titans upon which the movie 'Remember the Titans' was based) talk with students in local schools. This year, the Lighthouse Project is teaming up with some other folks to take character education a step or two further. ... The Lighthouse Project will bring strong people to High Point [North Carolina] schools: James Bradley, the author of 'Flags of Our Fathers'; Harold Morris, the author of 'Twice Pardoned'; childhood cancer survivor Manny Diotte; and Dana Scott, the sister of Rachel Scott, a victim of the shootings at Columbine High School.

"Lessard hopes also to share these speakers with as many as 1,000 young people and youth leaders at a STOMP rally at Green Street Baptist Church. STOMP stands for Standing Together on the Master's Plan, says Bert Giles, director of youth ministries at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church. ... Each speaker will offer a testimonial about his or her faith, Lessard says. This aspect of character education fits perfectly with the missions of youth ministers. 'This is a way to integrate faith with what we do in the schools. This way, we can help our youth develop mentally, physically, and spiritually,' says Lessard."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

'The universal solvent of Love'