by Paula Johnson
My gift of hope for a new year is that we are still raising some amazing children. I ran across a couple of stories the past few days that made my heart sing.
Most of us are aware of all the wasteful plastic that exists and is clogging our landfills and oceans as well as beaches and sides of the roads. Then, of course, we have those people who can’t throw anything out which includes those empty plastic jugs that MIGHT be useful some unknown time in the future.
To the world’s rescue comes a 12-year-old California girl, Madison Checketts. Madison loved the beaches around her home, but became saddened and frustrated with the accumulating plastic bottles that continued to gather and clutter the beautiful California beaches. Rather than just fret, gripe and do nothing, she wanted to make a change.
Madison studied plastic pollution and how to reduce it. She then designed her creation which she named the Eco-Hero. What a fabulous name! We Americans love heroes. The Eco-Hero is a jello-like water bottle that is edible.
After moving to Eagle Mountain, Utah, Madison never lost focus on her passion. She began her project in October 2021 for her elementary school’s science fair. She was selected from her school to compete at the school district’s science fair and won first place at the state level – advancing to the national competition.
This past September, Madison became one of the 30 finalists in the 2022 Broadcom Masters Competition. This contest is considered the US’s premier science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competition for middle schoolers.
At this level, she was competing with such entries as: a project that created a remote-controlled robotic hand which could be used by search and rescue workers in natural disaster situations and a student who created a foot-controlled welcome mat that could wirelessly unlock a door to help people with arthritis and other hand conditions.
Madison Checketts, Eagle Mountain, Utah,
with her award-winning Eco-Hero.
Though the remote-controlled hand won first place, all the contestants will someday give us commonplace inventions for a better world.
On the other end of the spectrum is a darling young girl, Madeline, (also from California) who loves unicorns.
As an aside, unicorns are mythical, but like mermaids, they were once thought to be real. The unicorn holds many magical powers, including bringing good luck. This creature is also the national animal symbol for Scotland and appears on the United Kingdom’s coat of arms.
Madeline who has a vivid imagination as many young people do, is also quite realistic. She loves unicorns, and has a wish to own her own real unicorn someday – if she can find one.
However, Madeline wanted to be prepared and leave nothing to chance in the event she could own one. Thus, she sent a letter of request to the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control. Her simple application said: “Dear LA County, I would like your approval if I can have a unicorn in my backyard if I can find one.”
Needless to say, Marcia Mayeda, the department’s director, was thrilled with Madeline’s letter.
On Facebook she posted, “This brought us so much JOY so we thought we should share with everyone. It is always rewarding to hear from young people who thoughtfully consider the requirement of providing a loving home to animals. We commend Madeline’s sense of responsible pet ownership to seek permission in advance to keep a unicorn in Los Angeles County.”
To Madeline, the director sent a “permanent unicorn license” which was printed on a bright pink metal tag and a unicorn stuffed animal to hold her over while searching for her real one.
Madeline also received an official letter from the Department with required conditions when she acquires
her unicorn. She is to give it “regular access to sunlight, moonbeams, and rainbows,” feed it watermelon, and polish its horn monthly “with a soft cloth.”
As long as we continue to raise inventors and dreamers, we will not perish. For what are inventors if not dreamers who make dreams come true. Happy 2023 and beyond.
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