The Darfur Heroes program, started in 2007 by the coalition, highlights individuals and groups who play a crucial role in helping end the violence in Darfur through awareness-raising and other efforts. This month, Save Darfur is honoring college student Jon Brian for his work to educate his community and raise money for Darfur advocacy by refurbishing and auctioning off a car. Check out his story below:

Initial Idea-
Throughout high school, I had many classes such as Leadership, AVID, and Civics that required community service hours in order to pass. Personally, I never had trouble getting enough hours but I noticed that others were having trouble finding service to perform. One day, on my way home from volunteering at the Senior Citizen Center I starting thinking that there must be a form of service that was more suited to people’s interests.

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The Darfur Heroes program, started last year by the coalition, highlights individuals and groups who play a crucial role in helping end the violence in Darfur through awareness-raising and other efforts. This month, Save Darfur is honoring Chicago teen Ethan Barhydt.

Here is his story:

On the final day of my 7th grade class on the Holocaust, our religious school teacher unexpectedly announced that we would be taking a final exam.  As he passed out the exam face down, I became nervous that I would be unable to conjure up all of the information that we had learned throughout the year.  However, when I turned over single sheet of paper, I realized with relief that it was not a typical final exam.  Instead, it consisted of a single paragraph we had to read that simply stated: Your final exam in how you conduct the rest of your lives. Can it happen again? The answer is up to YOU and to YOUR CHOICES.  Will YOU CHOOSE to get involved or will you be a bystander?

It was on that day that I promised never to by a bystander to injustice.  Five years later, I continue to use those words as a reminder of my responsibility to stand against human rights atrocities.

Throughout my high school career, I have worked with a lot of amazing people to improve the lives of victims of the genocide in Darfur.  While the following paragraphs will discuss the actions that I have specifically taken, effective activism results from a community of people working together towards a single goal.  Through this unity, great change occurs.

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