THE BALLOON MAN

Community Kids Awarded For Service At The Circus

Credit: Photos courtesy of Claire Redding.
Talent in and out of the ring: Local children doing good in the community were given The Barnum Award on Saturday, Nov. 13 at The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Fort Wayne.

http://www.indianasnewscenter.com November 14, 2010

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) - Under the bigtop, the circus ring is not the only place where talent shines. At Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Circus Saturday night, it was a few talented kids in the crowd who were recognized.
The Barnum Award is a national prize given by the circus operation to honor P.T. Barnum and his contributions to society. Children who are making a difference in the community were recognized before last night's circus performance at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne and included recipients from Fort Wayne, Auburn and Leo.
Winners of The Barnum Award were chosen by a panel of distinguished local luminaries from a pool of nominees and received medals and grants to fund future service projects.

The Gold Barnum Award winner, Madeline Cumbey, of Fort Wayne, received a $1,000 grant. In order to address the problem of childhood obesity and kids health, Madeline started an after school club for 30 kids called the SMART2BFIT club. She taught other students about nutrition, physical activity and hydration. Madeline also started a school garden where students were able to stay physically active and take home nutritious foods.
The Sliver Barnum Award winner, Gavin Winebrenner, of Auburn, received a $750 dollar grant. Since being diagnosed at age seven with Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Gavin and his family have worked hard to raise money for the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He has now spent more than 15 months in remission, but is still working tirelessly to support this worthy cause alongside his brother and sister.
The Bronze Barnum Award winner, Taylor Mandis, of Leo, received a $500 dollar grant. Taylor has been volunteering her time as a junior leader at a horse ranch where she takes care of ranch chores and assists in giving young children a safe riding experience while at the ranch. She cleans stalls, feeds the horses and is willing to help with whatever needs to be done. She has also worked hard to raise donations and grants for the ranch.

The Barnum Award makes its debut as the nation's leadership asks people to identify needs in their community and engage in meaningful service to create change. The Barnum Award is designed to reward children, ages six to 14, who have created social good and community through their own inventive and pioneering actions.

Community Kids Awarded For Service At The CircusBy Valerie Caviglia