Essay earns award from Freedoms Foundation

WEST LONG BRANCH — The notion that one person can’t make a difference couldn’t be further from the truth, according to 14-year-old Amanda Goldfine.

Amanda, a freshman at Shore Regional High School, argues in a prize-winning essay that one person can make a "huge" difference in the world.

"If you take care of yourself, then you can take care of your family, which allows you to take care of your town and your community," she wrote. "You can then help your state, your country and the world."

Amanda was one of 20 winners in the youth essay category of the national contest conducted by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. The winners were selected from among 82 finalists from across the country.

In addressing the topic of the essay — the role of American citizens in the 21st century — Amanda also had this to say: "Plant one tree, smile at five people a day, do a kind deed, help a child with his homework; it’s a chain reaction. Every time you help someone out, it makes the world a better place."

Amanda wrote her essay while still a student at Frank Antonides school here and delivered the approximately 350-word message at her eighth-grade graduation. She received word earlier this month that she was one of this year’s winners. She was nominated for the award by a Sojourners chapter.

Her proud mother, Joanne Goldfine, felt the thoughts Amanda put to paper were particularly apropos in the wake of the World Trade Center tragedy.

In the letter notifying Amanda of her winning entry, Carolyn E. Hallman, director of Awards for the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, wrote: "Your program exemplified the essence of the national awards by promoting an understanding and appreciation of responsible citizenship, and the benefits of a free society." The recipients, she said, advance the American ideal.

The George Washington Honor Medal that Amanda won will be presented to her in an awards ceremony at the organization’s headquarters in Valley Forge, Pa., later this year.

The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge was founded in 1949. It is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to effectively communicating to young people the principles upon which this nation was founded, and the balance of rights and responsibilities of citizens in today’s increasingly diverse society.

It is supported by nearly 3,000 individual volunteer members in 27 chapters, as well as corporations, foundations and civic organizations.