Whiz Kid: Zupancic Organizes Japan Benefit

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:

Jacob Zupancic

• Age: 14
• School: East Hills Middle School
• Achievement: Jacob raised more than $2,000 to help those affected by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in March. He sold custom “Hope for Japan” bracelets for $3 at his and other schools and throughout his community. Jacob designed fliers, posters and school announcements to help build awareness for the program.
• Key to awesomeness: Jacob has a big heart. “When I saw the events on TV, I felt awful. It was like watching a movie except, all of this was real. Cars were engulfed by water, houses were floating, and fires blazed everywhere. I just had to do something about this,” he said. “These people need our help. Just to think that these people were living everyday lives like us, and then it was all washed away ... it’s just unbelievable, and it shows how fortunate we are. I thought that if we could raise enough money for this cause, together, we could make a big difference in Japan.”

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 every Wednesday for our Whiz Kid spotlight; you never know who will be up next.

Those who want to help raise money for Hope for Japan may do so by purchasing bracelets online at TheGrandmaBook.com/Hope4Japan. For further information on supporting these efforts, please contact Jacob at Hope4JapanNOW@gmail.com.