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Regular Session, 2014 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 146
BY SENATORS ADLEY, AMEDEE, BUFFINGTON, DORSEY-COLOMB, LAFLEUR,
LONG, RISER AND WHITE
A RESOLUTION
To commend and congratulate the recipients of the 2014 Louisiana Young Heroes Awards.
WHEREAS, this year six high school students and two middle school students were
chosen as the 2014 Louisiana Young Heroes Award recipients; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Young Heroes Awards are given each year to students in
grades seven through twelve who have excelled in academics and public service while
overcoming adversity in their own lives and serve as an inspiration to others through their
actions and strength of character; and
WHEREAS, these awards are presented by Louisiana Public Broadcasting and the
Rotary Club of Baton Rouge and underwritten this year by Acadian Companies, Blue Cross
and Blue Shield of Louisiana, CenturyLink, and the Credit Bureau of Baton Rouge
Foundation; and
WHEREAS, this year's Young Heroes are Caroline Beard, Joshua Castille, Kamryn
"Kami" Chauncy, Cody Crews, Morgan Gautreau, Elizabeth Kasongo, Andrew Matthews,
and Isaac McFarland; and
WHEREAS, seventh grader and skilled artist Caroline Beard, overcame cancer and
the loss of vision in her left eye, had a Christmas ornament she designed in 2005 selected
by Oprah Winfrey as one of her 100 gifts for that year and her artwork continues to be a top
seller for St. Jude Hospital's fundraising efforts; and
WHEREAS, despite senior Joshua Castille's long list of health challenges, he finds
the time to organize and host Archery Shoots that raise money for Dreams Come True, a
nonprofit organization dedicated to granting the dreams of children with life-threatening
illnesses; and
WHEREAS, freshman Kami Chauncy, also a cancer survivor, has dedicated her
efforts to raising money through collecting aluminum can tabs, sponsoring Relay for Life
teams since 2007, and along with her classmates, spear-headed the drive to get the State of SR NO. 146 ENROLLED
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Louisiana to allow the St. Jude license plate to be sold as an official license plate in
Louisiana, further raising money for the charity; and
WHEREAS, after being attacked by a large dog during the Hurricane Rita relief
efforts that caused serious damage to his face, mouth and tongue, sophomore Cody Crews,
initiated the Send a Book On Safari program to help children in Africa learn English, reads
to children in daycares after school, and joined his sister, Cassidy, in the Soles4Soles
program to collect shoes for the less fortunate; and
WHEREAS, despite multiple surgeries and her ongoing struggle with Spina Bifida,
eighth grader Morgan Gautreau set up a program called Making a Difference With Morgan
and raised eighteen thousand dollars for research into a cause and cure for Spina Bifida; and
WHEREAS, junior Elizabeth Kasongo and her family narrowly escaped from the
Congo after they were marked for death during the genocide in the African country; now
living in Baton Rouge, she is writing a book about her family's story, became active in the
pro-life movement and collects food and other items for the less fortunate in her community;
and
WHEREAS, after being born three and a half months early and struggling with a long
list of physical issues and challenges, junior Andrew Matthews now volunteers with
Vacation Bible School, serves as an athletic trainer and has become a certified Louisiana
State First Responder; and as part of the EMS Explorer Program, he volunteered more than
four hundred hours in his first year and received the Explorer Post 912 Service Award; and
WHEREAS, when junior Isaac McFarland learned that one out of three children in
Louisiana do not receive meals on a consistent basis, he started Game Changers Let's Tackle
Hunger, for which he received a national grant to get officials, celebrities, classmates, junior
ranchers and other interested parties on board to donate more than a thousand decorated
tackle boxes, which his organization filled with non-perishable breakfast items and delivered
to families; he also launched a city-wide food drive to eliminate hunger in his community
that collected several tons of food; and
WHEREAS, the success of the state of Louisiana, the strength of our communities,
and the overall vitality of American society depend, in great measure, upon young people
like Caroline Beard, Joshua Castille, Kamryn "Kami" Chauncy, Cody Crews, Morgan
Gautreau, Elizabeth Kasongo, Andrew Matthews, and Isaac McFarland, who, even when SR NO. 146 ENROLLED
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faced with adversity, continuously strive to make their communities, state and the world a
better place.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of Louisiana hereby commends
the 2014 recipients of the Louisiana Young Heroes Award, expresses gratitude for the
extraordinary service they provide in their communities and the contributions they make to
the state of Louisiana, and honors the pride, courage, bravery, and determination they have
shown in overcoming personal adversity to achieve their extraordinary accomplishments.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to each
recipient of the 2014 Louisiana Young Heroes Award.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE