Young people to watch: Jennifer Rubin and Grant Skelton

Jennifer Rubin -- Rockin' 4 Relief

Jennifer Rubin might be only 20 years of age, but she already views herself as too old for a rocking chair.

Rubin, a junior at Southeast Missouri State University, began Rockin' 4 Relief at the age of 12, and has since left the rocking chair to younger volunteers while she moves into a supervisor role with her not-for-profit organization. Rockin' 4 Relief has raised more than $130,000 for BackStoppers, which assists families of police officers, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics who died in the line of duty.

Rubin, who will attend the SEMO Law Enforcement Academy next year to become an officer, says her interest in law enforcement was sparked by a D.A.R.E officer while she attended fifth grade in the St. Louis area. The officer couldn't help but notice the heightened interest of 10-year-old Rubin.

"He was like, 'You really seem to like all this law enforcement stuff, you should come and get involved with the police department and community events, things you can help out with.' So I took him up on that," Rubin says.

In the 10 years since, Rubin, who increasingly began to realize the perils involved in law enforcement, put her fundraiser in motion.

"I just wanted to put together something to give back to them because they do so much for us every day," she says.

Jennifer Rubin poses for a photo Nov. 9, 2016, at the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Rubin founded Rockin 4 Relief to benefit BackStoppers.Fred Lynch

At first, she didn't know how to help, but then she learned about BackStoppers. She came up with rocking chairs, something her uncle had done as a fundraiser in college, simply because it was low cost.

The first 10-hour rocking session took place in a St. Louis gym. She came away disappointed to fall $250 short of her $1,000 goal ($500 had been raised in advance) in a sparsely attended event that included her parents, and some friends and police officers.

Through conversations, she found her heart was in the right place, but the rocking chair was not.

The next year the event, which receives more than half its donations from money dropped in a box by passersby, moved to a Dierbergs supermarket, where the money nearly tripled.

"Once we did that, we were like, 'You know, this may have a little bit of potential," Rubin says. "The grocery store was like, 'Hey, here's all these other locations. See if you can staff them and see where you can go.'"

The rocking took place at seven locations the next year, then 15 in 2011, then 20.

It was in 2012 that her platform became national through Twitter. Then 15, and more savvy by the day, Rubin followed celebrities and sought for her messages to be retweeted. Such an attempt caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey.

"She actually answered, and my whole feed completely blew up," Rubin says. "I had no idea what was going on. I had to backtrack quite a bit to get back to what she actually said."

Grant Skelton poses for a photo Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016 in Cape Girardeau.Fred Lynch

Winfrey messaged that she was impressed with Rubin helping such a cause at her young age, and she matched the $12,000 already raised. She even kicked in an extra $1,000 to give in Rockin' 4 Relief an even $25,000.

Any skepticism about the online encounter was quieted when a check for $13,000 and a handwritten note from Winfrey arrived three weeks later.

Upon starting college in Cape Girardeau, Rubin added Rockin' 4 Relief locations in Southeast Missouri. This year's event was held Oct. 8 and raised $9,750 at 23 locations -- restaurants, grocery stores and gas stations -- in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Scott City, Sikeston and Fruitland. The St. Louis event took place Nov. 12.

Rubin stepped out of the rocker for good in 2013, the year the organization gained tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3), and she now serves in more of what she refers to as an "adult role," taking care of the logistics, like getting rockers for all the locations.

For the October event, she sought out a 10-year-old girl named Trinity to do the rocking at the main location.

Trinity had attended a law-enforcement appreciation event over the summer at Cape County Park, where she handed out thank-you notes she had written for every police officer and firefighter. Rubin found Trinity's father on Facebook and told him about Rockin' 4 Relief.

Rubin also contacts local first responders who stop by for a grand finale at a designated site, which was at Wings Etc. in October.

Trinity got to do the final standup of the 10-hour event. She did so at 9 p.m. in front of all the other volunteers, with six police cars and a firetruck lined up in the street.

"We'll get a big countdown, and when the final person stands up, all the lights and sirens go off and everything," Rubin says. "It's always my favorite part of the event."

Grant Skelton -- Granting Grace

Grant Skelton poses for a photo Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016, at Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau.Fred Lynch - Southeast Missourian file photo

If anyone knows what a difference $75 can make, it's 9-year-old Grant Skelton.

Skelton, a third-grader at Alma Schrader Elementary School in Cape Girardeau, received that amount from his grandparents last Christmas with the stipulation that he would use it to help others.

After consulting with his pastor, Tom Sullenger at Grace United Methodist Church, he passed along the money to a man in need.

It created such a positive feeling in Grant that he decided he wanted to do more -- much more.

He created the not-for-profit Granting Grace Foundation in February, and it has raised $7,000 to date.

The first $3,000 came from donations after Grant stepped up to the pulpit for the cause, but a gospel concert at the church in August drew 200 people and raised $4,000 for the foundation.

"I was pretty surprised," Grant says.

It's been a transformational year for a boy who won't turn 10 until June.

"What I've learned is it feels good to help people who need it," Grant says. "I learned that you can make friends by doing this, and you can meet people you've never met before if you didn't do this."

His lessons have gone well beyond the subjects taught in second and third grade, and revealed the real-life problems that confront people of all ages.

"I met a guy who said he had a little daughter and his fiancee broke up with him and he couldn't afford the night at a hotel, so we gave him some money to do that," Grant says. "He got a place to stay for the night."

The foundation, which has adopted the scripture verse of Acts 20:35 -- "It is more blessed to give than to receive" -- usually gives out the money in $75 increments, the amount that sparked the mission.

Grant has no plans to slow down. He hopes to hold a fundraising carnival this spring on the church parking lot, including games and food.

"As long as I can, I want to raise as much money as I can and give out as much as I can," Grant says.