Party honors F-M youths for charitable work

• Party for students

From left, Jane Campbell, Megan Harker and Glen Ellingson load up their plates Sunday during the party at Oak Grove Lutheran School in Fargo. Carrie Snyder / The Forum

Talk about it

Metro area youths say they are working to overcome negative stereotypes about young people.

The Metro Area Youth Partnership hosted a Super Bowl party Sunday at Oak Grove Lutheran School in Fargo, complete with pizza, pop and chicken wings.

The party was held to honor the youths for being picked as The Forum’s Person of the Year for 2008 and to recognize them for their civic accomplishments, including the Fill the Dome food drive, which raised 70 tons of food and nearly $60,000.

“This is just the beginning for us. We’re going to keep going and make things better,” said David Karaz, a Fargo Shanley High School junior.

About 50 students from various schools attended. They had a good time hanging out, playing cards and watching the game.

“It’s really fun and it’s good to be able to be with your friends and talk about what team you think is the best and be able to argue stuff and not get in trouble for it,” said Dallas Winge, an eighth-grader at Ben Franklin Middle School in Fargo.

But they said the recognition wasn’t necessary.

“I don’t think we really need to be recognized because we don’t do it to get recognized,” said Megan Harker, an eighth-grade student at Carl Ben Eielson Middle School in Fargo.

During halftime, organizers recognized the students’ accomplishments and urged them to do more.

“You, my friends are not the leaders of tomorrow. You’re the leaders of today,” said Erik Hatch, director of youth ministries for First Lutheran Church in Fargo and director of the Homeless and Hungry project.

The Forum’s Person of the Year for 2007, Tracy Briggs, a WDAY radio personality, passed the torch to the youth. Since she didn’t have a torch, she placed plastic crowns on six students’ heads.

Briggs was recognized for her work in organizing “honor flights” enabling World War II veterans to fly to Washington to visit the memorial to soldiers of that war.

“You’re the next greatest generation because you do what’s right,” Briggs told the students.

Forum Editor Matthew Von Pinnon presented the students with a framed print of the cover story that announced the youth as 2008 Person of the Year.

“The unselfishness is refreshing, inspiring, and hopeful and they are all attributes that we need at this time of bleak national and international news and events,” Von Pinnon said.

Tags: super bowl youth, moms, news