Hi! My name is Riley (pictured on the right) and I have been given the amazing opportunity to learn about leadership in Anaheim, California through the DECA program at my school. Prior to this opportunity I competed in the state level DECA competition at Virginia Beach, VA. At this competition I competed in what is known as the “Community Awareness Project” event, in which I presented in front of a judge and shared what I did to spread awareness for a cause of my choosing. I chose Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness. Prior to traveling to Virginia Beach I made a plan to have a school-wide event at my high school promoting awareness for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health, I called this plan “A Reason to Smile”. The event I planned was a Mental Health Expo where students could come and learn the causes and effects of suicide and poor mental health, and where to go or what to do to cope with such things. Along with this I also wanted to provide students with a place to have fun to take their stress off from school and anything else that may be on their minds, a place where they could socialize and do fun activities with friends. Finally, after a stressful organizing process, my event became a success! With over 500 students attending, learning and having fun, it was safe to say that the Mental Health Expo all gave them A Reason to Smile. After sharing this journey and outcomes with the judge, I got amazing feedback, but unfortunately didn’t qualify to go to Anaheim, California to share my journey with more people, but I was not sad because I was so proud of all the hard work I put in and smiles I put on peoples faces! But due to my clear hard work, my Deca advisor decided to give me a leadership position where I could go to California and learn about what it means to be a great leader, there they will teach the fundamentals and principles of leadership, while also preparing me for the real world of business, which is what I want to do in college! This opportunity is once in a lifetime for me and I would hate to miss out on it just because of the high cost of $1,500, so please consider donating, you would have no idea what it will mean to me, even just $5.00 would make a huge difference, and would definitely give me a reason to smile ;).

Thank you so much for reading!