 Back |
 Prachi Mayenkar, 15, of Maryland Heights, said she wasn’t nervous when she spoke in front of 2,000 people at America’s Center during the 79th annual National American Red Cross Convention.
“I think it’s because I have experience with being in front of a crowd,” she said.
Prachi’s experience in front of crowds includes speech, debate, mock trial, music and dance. On top of those activities in her spare time and at Parkway North High School, Prachi is a volunteer with the St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. She started volunteering with the Red Cross’s YouthCorps when she was 12.
“My mom always stressed compassion and giving back to the community,” Prachi said.
She chose the Red Cross to volunteer her time because “the Red Cross has international influences, and I consider myself a global citizen rather than just a citizen of Missouri,” she said.
Prachi’s Red Cross volunteer service began in disaster services as a peer educator. Her interest in medicine drew her to health and safety training in YouthCorps and international services.
Her group, led by Drenda Underwood, school curriculum specialist at St. Louis Area Red Cross, has been raising money for the organization’s measles initiative, which is vaccinating children in Africa. Prachi said she hopes to visit Africa to perhaps meet some of the people the effort is helping.
Underwood describes Prachi as a unique individual.
“She looks older than her age and expresses herself beyond her years,” Underwood said. “She’s interested in everything. She asks questions probably every two minutes and then has follow-up questions to the answers. She has a real thirst for knowledge, and she’s truly committed to the Red Cross.”
For those reasons and Prachi’s volunteer experience at the Red Cross, Underwood suggested that Prachi compete for a chance to speak at the national convention. Ultimately, Prachi was recognized with the Navin Narayan National Convention Youth Speaker Award and given that opportunity.
Prachi said she received help from her group peers in creating her five-minute speech.
Her audience at the convention consisted of nearly 2,000 Red Cross volunteers and staff from across the nation. It was hosted by the St. Louis Area Chapter and took place May 21 through 23 at America’s Center. This was the fourth time in the convention’s history that it took place in St. Louis. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and broadcaster Joan Lunden were featured guests.
As the convention’s youth speaker, Prachi represented all Red Cross youth and addressed the achievements, hopes and potential of young people who face challenges in serving their communities. Her speech focused on the importance of adults and youth working together to achieve a common goal. The speech’s theme was “one Red Cross.”
“They were so impressed with her that they chose her to introduce Marsha J. Evans, president and CEO of the American Red Cross,” Underwood said.
Prachi said, “Just being there, I realized how many kids are involved with the Red Cross, and it was a pleasure to meet all of them.”
Still, she said more children should volunteer their time to helping others.
“Kids are missing out if they’re not giving back,” she said.
Also at the convention, Ladue resident Vivian Luce was appointed as vice chair of the 2005 national convention in San Francisco in May; and Michael W. Newport of Ladue, board chairman of the St. Louis Area Chapter, was elected to serve a two-year term on the national resolutions committee. The committee reviews proposed resolutions regarding corporate policy issues.
This story may be available for an Adobe Acrobat PDF download. Click on the link below to visit the site download center. If a PDF is available, the file will automatically open in your browser. |
|
|