Whiz Kid: Brett Leckey
Brett, With His Family’s Help, Founded Ucan2
Name: Brett Leckey
Grade: 4
School: Jeffrey Elementary School
Accomplishment: “6,000 people die a day from water related diseases and I want to help out,” Brett Leckey told his mother, Kathy Leckey, after reading an article about the problem in the 2009 Kids’ Almanac. This one fact made such an impact on 10-year-old Brett that he decided he had to do something about it. And so his nonprofit organization Ucan2 was born and in one year he raised over $10,000 to buy LifeStraws to make it easier and safer for more people in the world to drink clean water.
Right now, in its infancy, the first and only project Ucan2 is involved with is raising funds to buy and distribute Lifestraws. “A LifeStraw is a portable drinking filter that people wear on a string around their necks that enables them to drink from contaminated water sources. Each LifeStraw lasts for a year and costs about $5,” says Brett’s blog.
“Our hope is that eventually we’ll be able to take on other kids with other projects and help support them,” says Kathy. Ucan2 “is a non-profit company whose mission is to educate students on health and welfare issues in the world, inspire others to join, and provide guidance and support for them to act,” says the group’s website.
Key to Awesomeness: Brett is quick to give credit where credit is due. Although he is the driving force behind the organization, giving presentations to rotary clubs, school group and church organizations statewide, he admits he could not do this alone. His mother, Kathy, filed all the paperwork necessary to make uCan2 a nonprofit and she also built his website. “She makes the whole process happen,” says Brett. His sisters, 11 year old Skylar and 7 year old Abigail, willingly assist Brett. Brett is definitely one Madison youth who is worth keeping an eye on. As Brett grows so will Ucan2, both destined to make a huge impact on many people in Madison and maybe someday worldwide!
To see the full article go to : http://madison-ct.patch.com/articles/whiz-kid-brett-leckey?ncid=M255#c