Catch them doing the right thing!
Whether the student is a Kindergartener or teen, whether the act is simple or time consuming, we want to hear about your outstanding student. Nominate them for MetroFamily Magazine’s Spotlight on Character Award. Click here for contest details and nomination form. Thank you to OERB for sponsoring this award!

Ten-year-old Brooklyn Bridges demonstrates a number of character traits including initiative, compassion, wisdom, and generosity. Brooklyn was nominated by her Girl Scout leader for actions she took to help a family devastated by the heavy summer rains. Brooklyn saw a flyer posted about a family who had lost everything in a recent flood. She talked to her grandmother about donating some stored furniture and contacted her Girl Scout leader about the situation. “Word got out and they ended up getting quite a bit donated,” Brooklyn’s father Chris said. She was so casual about the whole thing, he wasn’t even aware of it until the Girl Scouts honored her for her actions a few months later.

In 2004, when the family was stationed in Ft. Polk, Brooklyn helped save her brother’s life. Their family dog attacked her younger brother and without hesitation, Brooklyn summoned her parents. One pulled the dog off while the other tended to her brother, but Brooklyn knew her family needed more help. She quickly ran to a neighbor’s house for assistance, then went out front to flag down the ambulance, knowing they might have difficulty locating the home in the military housing complex. “She’s very cool and level headed,” Chris said. “Dynamite comes in small packages.”

Brooklyn is in the fourth grade at Little Axe Elementary and is the daughter of Chris and Nicole Bridges.

Pigs on a Corner, Battle of the Sexes, Olympigs, Running of the Pigs—these are just a few of the creative activities that recently netted $257,891.54 for the non-profit Oklahoma Family Center for Autism. Each year Edmond Memorial High School’s Swine Week Committee chooses a non-profit organization and then spends months raising money to benefit the cause. This year’s successful fundraiser will help provide workshops, respite care, and other services for Oklahoma families affected by autism.

Swine Weeks chairs, Natalie Jester and Noor Tahirkheli, were impressed by their fellow students’ commitment and their community’s compassion. When we delivered MFM’s donation, we asked some of the committee members how they felt about Swine Week—here are a few of their comments: “People in Edmond are so giving and generous and it’s really motivating for us.” “Lots of people think kids can’t do much, but it’s amazing what 26 students can do.” “It takes a lot of time and work, but it’s so worth it.” “It’s fun to see the school get excited about doing something to help others.”

Memorial’s success has inspired other area schools toward similar fundraising efforts. The committee advises other groups interested in raising funds for worthy causes to choose a charity everyone can get motivated and excited about. To learn more about Swine Week and see fun photos of their events, visit EdmondSchools.net/Memorial.