Whiz Kid: Strome Leads Congregation to Crop Walk

Every week, Patch spotlights young people in the West Bloomfield community who are successful, talented and just plain awesome. We're pleased to introduce this week's Whiz Kid:

Melissa Strome

• Age: 12
• School: 
• Achievement: For her Bat Mitzvah project, Melissa decided to involve the  and communities of which she is a part into a cause she already worked to support. In-between her homework from school, involvement in the LINK program (for which she received ), and playing tennis for fun, Melissa and mother Karee Strome have participated in the for the past two years.
  
  Melissa thought that she would participate in the event this year scheduled for May 6 in support of Yad Ezra, the kosher food pantry based in Berkley, as she had in previous years. However, she decided that more hands were needed to do what she really wanted to do.
  
  "Hunger relief is a major problem around here, especially in the city, and I'd like to work to end that," she said. "My Bat Mitzvah theme is hunger relief and this year I thought I could take it to the next level."
• Key to awesomeness: Melissa has perspective. She enjoys what she does and believes that she's equal to those she helps.
  
  "I just feel that if I were in need, someone would try to help me, too. I would hope that if anyone could, they would try to help others," she said. "I'm glad to be doing this because you're usually not allowed to work so hands-on when you're younger."
  
  How does she motivate herself? Karee Strome said that her hunger to end hunger has always been obvious in part due to her own career as a teacher in Detroit Public Schools and working to help the less fortunate. "I think working with Yad Ezra is one more opportunity for them to see that we're blessed to have things and they don't have. We're in a position to help them and we do," Karee said.
  
  To learn more about Melissa's project or make a donation, visit her website.
  
  It’s not too late to be a part of the Crop Walk. To donate or for information on joining, visit Donations cropwalkonline.org. For more information, contact Rev. Mary Biedron, North Congregational Church of Farmington, 248-848-1750.

Do you know a special young person in the community who deserves a round of applause because he volunteers instead of playing video games after school? Or maybe your daughter's science club is trying to challenge the way we think about the energy crisis? Or maybe your son's lacrosse team won its first game in three years? Everyone deserves a little attention, and we want to tell these stories.

So email your Whiz Kid nominations to Editor Tim Rath at Tim.Rath@Patch.com. Please include the name, age, school, achievement and key to awesomeness, as well as a photo. Then come back for our Whiz Kid spotlight; you never know who will be up next.