Next Project honors young people trying to make difference

Young people improving our and their world.

It’s the driving concept behind The Next Project, a program identifying young leaders and matching them with those who can not only mentor but help realize their ideas and ideals.

Eleven members of the inaugural class were announced Monday evening at an event at Rock ’n’ Roll Drive-In, and the young people have already hit the ground running.

• When Grant Skelton was 8 years old, he received $75 for Thanksgiving from his grandparents. They told him to help someone in need with it. In thinking about how to use the money, Grant reached out to his pastor at Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. His pastor knew a man who was living in his van in a parking lot just outside of Cape Girardeau and suggested Grant give his money to the man to help. Grant did and has never turned back.

“It just made me feel really good, so I just wanted to do that more on a daily basis,” said Grant, who is now in the seventh grade at Cape Girardeau Central Junior High School. “It’s turned into something that I never thought it would.”

Khamani Rutherford is shown on screen at the Rock 'n' Roll Drive-In in a film announcing the inaugural class of The Next Project 2020 on Monday in Blomeyer.Sarah Yenesel

• Lucas Fritsche loves to roam around his family’s farm that is just outside his backyard in Perry County, Missouri. The experience of backyard exploration is something he wanted to bring to all children, through building an inclusive playground in Perryville.

The idea came to him one day when he was 9 years old, playing with one of his friends at recess. His friend, Lucas said, “Couldn’t really play much on the playground.” Lucas wanted to do something to change that.

“I asked my principal, ‘Why can’t you add equipment that my friend can play on?’ She said, ‘You could raise the money if you want, but you have to talk to [a parent organization].’ Well, I did the exact thing.”

• DaShonta Sterling has learned to view life differently having a Big Sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. After she graduates from high school, she plans to also become a Big Sister, to mentor younger girls in Cape Girardeau and help them find peace within themselves as she has.

This is what DaShonta wrote about in her essay that won the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) Essay Contest in response to the question, “Once you graduate from high school and begin your career, how do you plan to give back to your community and help others?” DaShonta wrote the essay as an assignment for her JAG class, a state-based national not-for-profit that helps young people who face challenges and display promise reach economic and academic success. Her teachers chose her essay to go on to the state-level essay contest, where the Missouri governor and first lady chose her because of her essay to present all of the schools’ winning essays on stage in Jefferson City, Missouri, where she met Gov. Mike Parson and his wife, Teresa, at a ceremony held at the State Capitol.

To see all those included in the inaugural class and watch videos of them explaining their passions, visit www.nextprojectmo.com.

Open to those ages 18 younger in the Southeast Missouri region, The Next Project aims to recognize students for their hard work and commitment to excellence both in and out of the classroom. The selected recipients will be featured in The Scout Daily Email and through social media.

Recipients will then be paired with local mentors to support their vision, fostering local talent retention and attraction.

Next Project mentors and sponsors create an ongoing partnership aiming to grow and retain local talent through college and adulthood, providing valuable insight and guidance to help them thrive and continue to achieve their goals.