Johnny Crater

 

  Johnny Crater is not your average 11-year-old. While most kids his age are eliminating video game bad guys, Johnny is working tirelessly to eliminate childhood poverty in Africa. And he’s been successful so far—the philanthropic foundation he directs, Heart4Heart.org, recently met its six-week fund raising goal of $5,000, which is enough to build a 12-child orphanage in Kenya. That amount is just the beginning of his larger goal to raise at least one dollar per orphaned child in Africa (a total of at least $12 million). Johnny has met with influential businessmen, bankers, politicians, accountants and lawyers since establishing his 501C organization to ensure that every cent collected goes entirely to the children of Africa, and the process has inspired kids countrywide.

  While Johnny spends significant time meeting with adults such as his mentor John Coors of Coors Brewery, his real passion lies in empowering and inspiring other kids. He’s created an organization called “The Congress of Kids,” which he wants to expand with Heart4Heart.org to find young representatives from across the country to carry his message of one person, one dollar. Johnny speaks directly to children and asks them to donate from their allowances, not through their parents, so they can experience the joy of giving. A devout churchgoer, Johnny is an assistant Sunday school teacher to 2 nd through 4 th grade boys, and loves working in the nursery with babies and toddlers. Adopted as a baby himself, Johnny became a regular visitor to local retirement homes by age four. At six, he was inspired to successfully raise $1,000 for calling cards for the military through the Red Cross’ Military Connect.

  Johnny has raised approximately $15,000 through fundraisers he’s held for different causes, including victims of Hurricane Katrina and the SE Asia Tsunami, the Special Olympics, Salvation Army and the Susan Komen Cancer Society. He also gathered enough Spanish-language children’s books to begin a small children’s library for orphans in Matamoros, Mexico. This past fall Johnny was recognized as a finalist in the top six of the current CNN Child Heroes. CNN is the same network that originally inspired Johnny’s campaign for African orphans with their special report, “Where Have All the Parents Gone?” Being that his biological father is of Kenyan descent, the program made Johnny realize that he could have been one of those orphans, and further propelled his philanthropic passion. Johnny plans to continue developing Heart4Heart.org, and when it comes to video games, he’s working with a classmate to develop one of those too. It’ll be called “Philanthropist” and serve as an online meeting place for kids to do good throughout the world.