Amazing Teen: Jordyn Schara

What were you doing when you were 14 years old?

Most of us were entering high school, spending time with friends, arguing with our parents about curfew, and shopping for the newest trend. Jordyn Schara, a Wisconsin teen, probably did not have time to do any of these things when she was 14. Instead, she was creating her first community service project.

Jordyn founded Project READ (Reading Equipment for America’s Defenders) with her brother when she turned 14. The Schara siblings shipped over 1,800 pounds of books, candy and other reading materials to troops overseas. That same year, Jordyn educated herself on the prescription drug problem in the United States, discovering that over 2.1 million teens ages 12 to 17 abuse prescription drugs. Her second community service project, WI P2D2 (Wisconsin Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal) worked to dispose drugs in an environmentally friendly and safe way. On top of these two projects, Jordyn started HOPE (Helping Our Peers Excel), encouraging other teens to start their own community service programs, and ultimately won over $20,000 in grants. It’s not a surprise that she was chosen by Coca-Cola to carry a torch at the London Olympics.

When I heard Jordyn’s story, I couldn’t help but compare her to other teenagers. It is rare for a 14 year old to give Christmas presents to charity instead of keeping them for herself. Was she born with this inherently selfless instinct? Or was her love for service something she taught herself over a period of time?