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CNN Sunday Morning
Interview With Meghan Kelly, Leah Wolsten
Aired July 28, 2002 - 11:55 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: It only takes one great idea to make a difference, and children seem to understand that best. Kohl's department stores is recognizing young people for outstanding volunteer programs. It's Kids Who Care program selected 10 national winners. We have two of them with us today. Meghan Kelly created the Hoops Stars program; she joins us live from Minneapolis. And Leah Wolsten organized the Happy Birthday Foundation. She is in our New York bureau. Ladies, thanks for joining this morning.
Let me start off with you, Meghan. What made you decide to become involved with volunteer work in the first place? I mean, do you have enough ways to occupy your time, or was this just something that you just really wanted to do?
MEGHAN KELLY, KIDS WHO CARE: Well, it was just something I really wanted to do. I felt that like the neighborhood where I do it, Longdale (ph), just needed something extra, like after school for the kids to do. And I love basketball. And it seemed like a good idea.
SAN MIGUEL: So what is Hoop Stars exactly? Is it kind of just like an after school tournament program, or something like that?
KELLY: Yeah, we just teach kids the fundamentals and like discipline and teamwork. And that's pretty much it.
SAN MIGUEL: OK. Well, Leah, tell me about the Happy Birthday Foundation. What is that, and how did you get the idea for it?
LEAH WOLSTEN, KIDS WHO CARE: Well, it's a nonprofit organization where we bring birthday parties to children in homeless shelters. And my older brother and my little brother, Ian and Craig, they were looking through a pamphlet over the summer written by my rabbi, Rabbi Gold (ph), and it had mitzvah ideas in it, which are good deeds, and it suggested that we do birthday parties in homeless shelters, but only suggested once a month. So we decided to expand the idea to whenever the child's birthday is, and we just thought on that idea for the summer and we grew into different counties.
SAN MIGUEL: It just sounds like just a great idea, and I know that you probably bring a lot of happiness to some other kids out there.
Meghan, let me ask you. Do you think that this program could be broadened out to other parts of the country? Could it be useful in other parts, or are there any specific things that you need to make it work?
KELLY: No, it could definitely be like all over the place, but it just -- I'm focusing just in one area just because that's where I know the kids the best. But, yes, I mean, anyone can do it, really.
SAN MIGUEL: And how can people get in touch with Hoop Stars for more information? Let me go ahead and give you a plug for your own program here. How would I get more information about this?
KELLY: We have a Web site at www.hoopstars.com -- .net, sorry -- and that's the main place to contact us, e-mail us.
SAN MIGUEL: Www.hoopstars.net. And for Leah, I'm wondering where you find the time for this? I'm sure that you have a busy schedule as it is with school and any other extracurricular activities. How do you prioritize to be able to do your volunteer work?
WOLSTEN: Well, I was just really looking for something to do over the summer a couple of summers ago, and we decided to just help other people, because there was nothing to do as kids that we could really get involved in to help other people.
SAN MIGUEL: OK. And if anybody wants information about the Kids Who Care, how would they go about -- I'm sorry, the Happy Birthday Foundation, that is the name of your program. Where would they get that information?
WOLSTEN: We have a Web site -- www.birthdayfoundation.org, and we also have a phone number. It's 732-254-5914, and we could be reached at either of those. You could -- and there's also a link to e-mail us on the Web site.
SAN MIGUEL: OK. Well, everybody has got a Web site these days. You got to have that.
Well, congratulations to both of you. They sound like excellent programs, and we hope that other young people also get the same idea and start getting involved in their communities. Meghan Kelly from Minneapolis with the Hoop Stars program, and then Leah Wolsten joining us from New York with the Happy Birthday Foundation. Good luck, ladies, thanks for being with us.
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