Sophia Gustafson, ALC and senior at Medfield High School, began her mission as community builder, change maker, and philanthropist at age eight. As founder of Hope for All, a young Sophia sought to make a difference in the lives of children in extreme global poverty. Hope For All just celebrated a decade of transformative impact, a testament to Sophia’s optimistic belief in the power of community united in common purpose. That experience  -- and growing awareness of climate change --  inspired her vision for Youth Environmental Consumers Alliance (YECA), an environmental non-profit organization. YECA unifies and mobilizes climate conscious youth in environmental action. Through YECA, youth leverage their collective consumer influence to demand sustainability and transparency in the textile industry. 

The clothing industry is often referred to as “fast fashion” -- because of the high production of trend-based apparel and footwear, which produces 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. YECA raises awareness of this generation’s unwitting support of the world’s greatest environmental problems challenges. By buying up trends as soon as they hit the market, young consumers accelerate rising greenhouse gas emissions.

Sophia shares her resolve: “Climate crisis is an issue we all have a human responsibility to address. It is human-caused and terrifying and unacceptable. Climate Change directly impacts animals and the environment, and is a human social justice issue.

Around the world, our most economically vulnerable communities face the most dire consequences of environmental degradation. Despite causing the least amount on our planet. I am motivated to lead YECA by the knowledge that I have the opportunity and obligation to lower greenhouse gas emissions through collective action. And, together with YECA members, make a small step towards a more just and equitable world.

My hope is to recruit young people who’ve been inspired to school strike, march, and sit-in for the climate. Together, we'll build a young consumer-driven movement of change and impact emissions footprints MUCH bigger than our own!”

In just a few months, 250 young people from 15 states have joined Sophia’s movement! Supporters include the Sunrise Movement Clubs at Middlebury and Rutgers, Sustainability Clubs at Smith and Bentley College; and Environmental Clubs at Medfield and Wellesley High Schools. 

For five years, Sophia's radiant spirit and humanity has been a source of light, love, and transformative action in our 351 community. In addition to highlighting her inspired leadership of YECA and Hope for All, we also want to celebrate her recent admissions to Harvard University with greatest pride and abiding admiration.
To learn more about Sophia’s vision-in-action, and join the cause visit https://www.youthenvironmentalconsumersalliance.org

On what is traditionally known as Marathon Monday, we dedicate today's "Good News Bulletin" in special gratitude to our friends at Leadership Partner John Hancock and media partner WBZ | CBS Boston -- the Marathon's lead sponsors.

They invite us to dedicate today in appreciation of essential workers and encourage donations of any size in support of our neighbors across the state affected by COVID-19. You can learn more on WBZ-TV and My 38's daylong programming in support of the MA COVID-19 Relief Fund -- literally: "Good News"! The MA COVID-19 fund was co-founded by First Lady Lauren Baker and the One8 Foundation, with a mission to ensure care and support for our state's most vulnerable populations and the heroic essential workers on the front lines.

As we reflect with gratitude, we recall the beautiful words of President Obama, as he helped us heal from greatest heartbreak after the 2013 Marathon.

His words reflect the enduring spirit and extraordinary compassion that defines our city and Commonwealth -- then, now, and always.

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"You showed us, Boston, that in the face of evil, Americans will lift up what's good. In the face of cruelty, we will choose compassion. In the face of those who would visit death upon innocents, we will choose to save and to comfort and to heal.

We'll choose friendship. We'll choose love.

Because Scripture teaches us God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.

And that's what you've taught us, Boston. That's what you've reminded us, to push on, to persevere, to not grow weary, to not get faint even when it hurts.

Even when our heart aches, we summon the strength that maybe we didn't even know we had, and we carry on; we finish the race.

We finish the race, and we do that because of who we are, and we do that because we know that somewhere around the bend, a stranger has a cup of water. Around the bend, somebody's there to boost our spirits.

On that toughest mile, just when we think that we've hit a wall, someone will be there to cheer us on and pick us up if we fall. We know that.

Our faith in each other, our love for each other, our love for country, our common creed that cuts across whatever superficial differences there may be, that is our power.

That's our strength...We carry on. We race. We strive. We build and we work and we love and we raise our kids to do the same...

And we come together to celebrate life and to walk our cities and to cheer for our teams when the Sox, then Celtics, then Patriots or Bruins are champions again, to the chagrin of New York and Chicago fans.

The crowds will gather and watch a parade go down Boylston Street. And this time next year on the third Monday in April, the world will return to this great American city to run harder than ever and to cheer even louder for the 118th Boston Marathon.

Tomorrow the sun will rise over Boston. Tomorrow the sun will rise over this country that we love, this special place, this state of grace."

Today, we’re proud to kick-off the Service Leadership Academy, a new service and leadership program created to ensure our Ambassadors and Alumni “unite, act, lead” even while apart during COVID-19. Our mission is to be of best purpose and greatest impact during this time of historic need; and to provide a place for joyful community connection for our young leaders. The seven week program will foster optimism in a time of great challenge, build skills to lead positive change, enrich knowledge through service learning, and unite our community to virtually serve, extend care, and offer gratitude.

We’re very honored that our First Lady Lauren Baker will kick-off SLA as part of a community town hall on Wednesday. She will serve as the inaugural guest of “Conversations with Charlie”, a weekly conversation with inspirational Movement Makers hosted by our Honorary Dean and Board Chair Charlie Rose. We are deeply grateful to Lauren and Charlie, two of our greatest and most beloved champions, for sharing their wisdom and inspiration with our young leaders. 

Movement Makers will also be featured in this week’s Good News! This time, Movement Makers from our Alumni community. And, we have just the right person to celebrate this Monday -- Justin Crosby, ALC of Middleton and the Team Leader/Mentor for the Mark Shriver Service Hero Team.

Since his 8th grade Ambassador year, Justin has had a special devotion to service learning.  So, when we began planning SLA, we knew we wanted Justin as key architect. Here’s why... 

Justin was a 14-year-old high school freshman when he put passion to paper in an email to Dr. Scott Morrison, School Superintendent for Tri-Town School Union (Boxford, Middleton and Topsfield). The topic? Service learning as a critical component of education -- on par, he asserted, with academics. And, to further his contention (a core mission of 351), Justin detailed the vision of “Leaders Lead Leaders” -- experiential and classroom service learning for middle school students. No surprise to us, the response was overwhelmingly supportive! 

Three years later, “Leaders Lead Leaders” has enriched and engaged hundreds of sixth graders in the Tri-town school district; and impacted thousands of lives through service to nonprofit organizations across the state! All under the stewardship of one of the most humble, kind, and brilliant young men we have been fortunate to know.

LLL, as Leaders Lead Leaders is affectionately called, teaches sixth graders the wonders of service and leadership while supporting transformative organizations like Room to Grow and the Wonderfund. Two further benefits of LLL: youth civic engagement, through membership in the Middle School’s Student Council, has grown. And, Justin’s preliminary data shows that LLL’s 6th grade graduates are more likely to continue their service leadership throughout middle school and beyond. 

As with all things in the Beloved Community of service, LLL has been enabled by collaboration and partnership.  Justin is quick to credit others for LLL’s success. And, celebrates and appreciates the dedication of Dr. Morrison and his student council advisors: Ms. Boyle, Mrs. DeOreo, Ms. Magrath, and Mrs. Bentley. We join him in gratitude for their generosity of wisdom, investment of over-and-above hours, and faith in the dream of a 14-year-old Ambassador, who wished to share a newly discovered passion for service with other young people. 

It has been a joy to serve with and learn from Justin throughout LLL and now, the Service Leadership Academy. He represents the best of Project 351. And, the unlimited power and potential of the 3,753 unsung heroes who have served as Ambassadors since 2011. As we kick-off the Service Leadership Academy, our abiding hope is that every Ambassador and Alumni embraces the call-to-serve as Justin has -- in ways that unite, uplift, and transform communities and our world.  We need their determined idealism and hope-fueled service at this time of greatest challenge. We can’t wait to get to work on the SLA!