Mill Creek Middle School Student Wins $500 for World Vision Charity

Patch will regularly spotlight young people in the Dexter and Chelsea area community who are successful, talented and just plain awesome.

Today we feature a middle school student who won a $500 scholarship for her first-place essay she submitted during a fundraiser for the United Nations Foundation. Anna Mason, an eighth grade student at Mill Creek Middle School in Dexter, donated the prize to World Vision charity.

Anna Mason

• Age: 14
• School: Mill Creek Middle School
• Introduction: Anna is a middle school student who has been involved with the Mill Creek swimming and diving team (winter) girls' basketball team, and the Dexter High School Drama Club's spring musical.
• Achievement: Anna won the third annual Laurence Carolin Award during a recent fundraiser for the United Nations Foundation. Laurence Carolin was a Mill Creek graduate who died of brain cancer in January 2010, at the age of 15. His mother, Lisa Carolin, offers the award every year to a student who most embodies Laurence's spirit of helping to give people in need a better quality of life. Anna won a $500 scholarship for her essay on the World Vision charity.
• Keys to awesomeness: Students who receive the Laurence Carolin Award have the option to donate the money to a charity of their choice. Anna donated the money to World Vision as part of her church youth group's fundraiser. Youth group members raise money by participating in a 30-hour famine challenge and do not eat meals for more than 24 hours. Anna also plans to go on a mission trip to Tijuana during her junior year in high school to help build homes in poor communities.
• Who inspires you? "I don't think I can pick just one person who inspires me. The leaders of my church perform a lot of service work. They are all inspiring," Anna said.

Do you know a local young person who deserves applause because he or she shovels the elderly neighbors' driveway? Or perhaps athletic achievements are worth sharing. Everyone deserves attention, and we want to tell these stories. Email nominations to local editor Daniel Lai at daniel.lai@patch.com, provide the information shown above and include a photo with names and ages.