Timmy Becton, Jr., a senior at Frederick Douglass High School, founded GrowSmart, a non-profit organization that addresses the issue of food desserts in his community. As a passionate young man who seeks to empower his peers to be involved in the improvement of their communities, Timmy developed the innovative idea to convert restaurant food waste into fertilizer for community gardens. Through GrowSmart, Timmy has mobilized over 20 community members in collecting food waste and building community gardens, bringing a sustainable and nutritious alternative to Memphis communities that do not have access to fresh produce at neighborhood grocery stores. Timmy’s efforts won him the opportunity to participate in LITE Memphis (Let’s Innovate Through Education), a six-month long curriculum designed to equip African-American & Latinx students with entrepreneurial skills and build networks to create wealth. Forbe’s Magazine has also selected GrowSmart as one of the 20 ideas that can change the world, and he was a finalist for the Obama Foundation Fellowship.

Sarah Rosenthal is a seventh grader at Germantown Middle School and has taken an active role in making the world a better place through her own fundraising program called “Sarah’s Hope Projects.” At school, Sarah has sought to develop a better understanding of the world, and this has guided her to support both local and global charitable initiatives. Here in Memphis, “Sarah’s Hope Projects” has helped to fund local programs such as Ready Shelby, Temple Israel MIFA Fund, Memphis Family Shelter, and the Shelby County Volunteer Support Committee’s campaign to purchase shoes and backpacks for needy school kids. On a global level, Sarah has raised donations to purchase 17 desks for students in Malawi through the UNICEF K.I.N.D. Fund. This year, Sarah is focused on raising funds to benefit the Child Advocacy Centers and her efforts have recently generated a significant donation to the MIFA 50^th Anniversary event.

Xinyi (Cindy) Tan, a senior at White Station High School, has founded two programs, one geared toward fostering diversity among students and one that moves past traditional gender boundaries in computer science. As an immigrant from China, Cindy understands how difficult it can be for kids to adjust to their new American culture. To create cultural awareness and encourage diversity, she founded Rotary Interact Club at White Station. The club hosts an event called World of Traditions, which brings students together to learn about cultures around the world. As a computer science and technology enthusiast, Cindy realized that many students in Memphis do not have access to programming classes, and that many female students felt cut off from advancing their computer skills. In response to this need, Cindy founded GirlCode, an outreach program that teaches free workshops on how to create apps using basic computing skills. Her program has received funding from the prestigious National Center for Women & Information Technology AspireIT program, and she is working to expand GirlCode to serve more students in our city.