East Central University student Loren Dunnam has been serving as a National Child Awareness Month Youth Ambassador.
Dunnam, a junior accounting major from Coalgate and an enrolled member of the Creek Nation, is one of 51 Youth Ambassadors (each selected from the 50 states and Washington D.C.), who have received funding and training to lead a campaign called ‘Kids 4 Kids’, which will provide clothing and supplies to the children of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma.
She was selected for the project by Youth Service America (YSA) and the Festival of Children Foundation.
Her work began in early September – National Child Awareness Month – when she traveled to Washington D.C., for leadership training and a networking event on Capitol Hill.
“Getting to be Oklahoma’s Ambassador is a very exciting and joyful thing for me,” Dunnam said. “I want to make everyone aware of the poverty in Oklahoma and give children the chance to learn what they can do in the future.”
Items for children will be collected in a Street Fair in April.
Dunnam was selected through a competitive application process and chosen based on the quality of her project proposal and its potential to create substantive, large-scale change on behalf of the young people in Oklahoma.
ECU Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Christine Pappas nominated Dunnam for the grant.
“Loren was in my Tribal Politics class and she clearly had leadership potential and a heart for service. I was delighted when she was selected,” Pappas said.
A complete list of all 51 Youth Ambassadors and their project plans is available at http://ysa.org/awards/
“As a National Child Awareness Month Youth Ambassador, Loren has a unique opportunity to serve as a leader of today,” said Steven A. Culbertson, President and CEO of YSA, a leader in the youth service movement. “YSA and Festival of Children Foundation look forward to supporting Loren as she works to create positive change in the lives of young people in Oklahoma.”