I am sitting at a "Save the Children" symposium at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories with other Manhasset students listening to how children around this world are suffering because of the atmospheres that they are in. The surroundings of these children aren't our everyday surroundings. They may involve violence, famine, diseases everywhere, disasters always occurring, and family nowhere to be found. Children are also put in situations where they are forced to act immoral. Just imagine you are that child who experiences a life by all those surroundings.

Now that you have imagined it, you must read closely to what is going to be said because you will see how "not the everyday surroundings" affected a child's life such as mine. I was born in a country called Moldova, a place where parents couldn't take care of their children because they didn't have all the family needs necessary to take care of a child. So I became an orphan whose heart was full of emptiness. With all of my experiences there, I and the other orphans felt ignored because the orphanage was understaffed and they weren't willing to give us love. It gave us a frame of mind of being insignificant because every day that passed by, our hearts kept on losing hope because no one was coming to fill our hearts with love that is needed in every child's life.

We had continued our lives being malnourished, and experiencing more health problems. The problems that I had were the thinning of hair, having a physical disability with my knees due to an inadequate amount of calcium in my diet. This was caused by low food supply that was low in nutrition. Life was difficult; we didn't have anything to live for. But one day, I did, the best surprise happened to me. Two newcomers walked in the orphanage and poured all their love into my heart that has been vacant for years. It was a new beginning, and I spent time with them for three weeks. I was given this unbelievable love and it made me feel special as if I had a purpose in their lives and in my life. The time I spent with them, gave me this feeling that I was destined to be their child and I'd be obligated to call them Mom and Dad someday. That day came when I was four years old. I was brought to America. I woke up every morning with a smile on my face knowing that I had a family that loved me and would do anything for me to make sure that I was happy. I was saved by two people that gave me the best love in the world. That day I will never forget because in my first life it was full of emptiness, but I was given a second life where I was given everything that a child needs, most importantly love. Love is the best thing a child can be given because it makes them feel wanted, it makes them feel important.

These children in the United States and around the world that are experiencing what I had experienced or worse are destined to live a horrible life but we can all change that, and give them a better life. Where they can be given food, water, proper guidance and education so they can be given the opportunity to accomplish something big like a dream, and live a prosperous life.

I'm not going to give you statistics about how these children are suffering around the world because letting one child suffer should be prohibited!

You can save these children by collecting money and donating it to the Save the Children Foundation. You can also send this message to others that are unaware of this global issue, and tell them how doing something about it, will make a colossal difference. (Check out their website www.savethechildren.com.)

After attending the Save the Children Symposium, a number of students started an informal group called "Children for Save the Children" and by spreading the word to various high school clubs, Manhasset High School students have raised over $3,000. We would also like to sponsor our own symposium next year to spread the word.

John Winthrop said in A Model of Christian Charity; "We must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us." These children are looking up to us for help and it is our mission to save these children.

The best thing a child can experience is to be loved and in response to give love back because that is the "greatest event in our lives." Mother Teresa would have confirmed my statement with her saying that "Love begins by taking care of the closest ones - the ones at home." These children need our guidance, so let us do the "kingly act to assist the fallen" so we can "touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received."

"Have you ever wondered what marks our time here? If one life can really make an impact on the world...or if the choices we make matter? I believe they do. And I believe that one man can change many lives." What Mark Schwahn says is absolutely true, but I want you to imagine how big of an impact many people can make in these children's lives. I ask that you do your very best to do what you can for this global issue, whether it is to donate a dollar, or spread the word. You can be part of the Save the Children Foundation and share their tradition of 75 years of taking action to this global issue and giving these children a second life.

Alex Snee

Manhasset High School Junior