Local teens’ mettle worthy of medals
As the world watches 16-year-olds hit the pinnacles of their sports, it might be a good time to also look at local teens who are showing great promise but likely have yet to achieve what will one day make their community proudest. There are two teens in particular whose potential will be on display today.
From 1-3 p.m. today there will be a Peace Gathering on the Public Square in Belleville. It was organized by 16-year-old Cayla Adams, who is also busy at Belleville East High School as a varsity cheerleader, at band camp playing Alto saxophone and at her part-time job.
Cayla worked with Belleville’s mayor and police chief to get a march approved, and when that didn’t work out she went back with a new plan and got them and the aldermen to go along with a gathering on the square with speakers and music. Her family has held marches in East St. Louis, but she pragmatically created an event before school starts and in Belleville that could draw a wider range of people.
And when social media comments related to the rally went negative about Belleville and called the city a “cesspool,” she responded in a positive way: “Even if Belleville may seem hopeless to some individuals, if you do not attempt to change it, where and when will a change occur? I have chosen to attempt at promoting this change.”
Ally Dyer, 15, is about to become a sophomore at Belleville East and cares for three younger brothers, has a near perfect grade point average, is on the dance team, is active at church and organized the Blessing Belleville Banquet. The banquet is at 6:30 p.m. today at Fischer’s Restaurant in Belleville and will benefit three local charities: Beacon Ministries, Caritas Family Solutions and Project Compassion.
Ally already passed her goal of 100 tickets at $40 each and more will be available at the door tonight for the dinner with silent auction and live music. The young woman who has been organizing fundraisers since she was 10 will be the emcee.
“For me, it’s not ‘going to do it,’ it’s about doing it,” Ally said.
If you need inspiration to pursue your dreams and goals, you could watch the events in Rio. You could also watch these two golden members of Team Belleville.
This story was originally published August 12, 2016 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Local teens’ mettle worthy of medals."