Leah Shwedel
Few of us can say we’ve spoken in front of Congress—much less before the age of 10. But Naples-born Leah Shwedel never skips an opportunity to speak about type 1 diabetes. Since being diagnosed at 5, Leah has become the public face of type 1 in Naples, speaking in front of hundreds at four galas for the local chapter of Breakthrough T1D, formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Last summer, she was one of the 160 kids selected (out of 700) to travel to Washington, D.C. to talk about the disease that attacks insulin-producing Beta cells in the pancreas. The autoimmune condition leads to weight loss, blurry vision, bed wetting and fatigue if mismanaged or left untreated, and the road to a cure is complex. It can be hard to drum up support for research in the face of more visible and prevalent diseases, and misconceptions.
Even at 10, Leah knows the most effective strategy is to put a face to the issue. “I told them why it’s important to have funding for better treatments and why they should care,” the vivacious Pelican Marsh Elementary student says. Leah and her parents—who have helped raise millions for Breakthrough T1D—share their stories to help others seek diagnosis and treatment early and properly manage their condition. Leah fights stigmas and misinformation, such as the idea that type 1 comes from eating too much sugar or that the condition is ‘solved’ by insulin injections.
She shares how her days require a 24/7 juggling act of checking levels, getting injections (six or more a day) and making life-or-death calculations on insulin dosage. A bad night’s sleep, a too-hot day, a growth spurt, an intense game of tag—anything that can lead to hormone changes and affect blood sugar levels or insulin absorption—can leave her feeling ill or trigger a life-threatening cascade. “There’s so much background decision-making, and that’s the biggest burden,” she says. “It can be so defeating because it’s just so different every day.” Through it all, Leah continues to push for better treatments and lower medicine costs. “A cure would probably be the best thing that ever happened to me,” she says.
Photography by Anna Nguyen
Maddison Molina
Maddison “Maddy” Molina, of Cape Coral, got her first taste for the sea while snorkeling with her family in the U.S. Virgin Islands about a decade ago. By the time she entered middle school, Maddy had her diving certification. “She would often say, ‘Being in the ocean is my happy place—it’s home,’” her mom, Enelia, says. The now-15-year-olds’ interest has blossomed into a series of conservation efforts, with her work being recognized by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI).
Maddy was captivated by the reefs she saw on family trips around the world to the Caribbean, Hawaii and Thailand. In 2019, the Molinas traveled to the Galápagos Islands, an area celebrated for its ecological diversity. Maddy was expecting a thriving underwater wonderland and was dismayed by what she found instead. “There were barely any fish, the water was a little cloudy, and the coral was brown or white,” Maddy says.
She started learning more about the essential ecosystems and how reefs worldwide were endangered by pollution, warming waters, extreme weather events, bioerosion and other factors. Soon after, on a plane to Tahiti, Maddy read about the country’s Coral Gardeners, a nonprofit founded by young surfers to rehabilitate and plant coral reefs, fund science and innovation for monitoring and restoration, and raise awareness. “Seeing all these young people trying to preserve the ocean, it inspired me to do the same—and it also gave me hope,” she says.
Ever since, Maddy has been raising funds and spreading awareness. She’s planted coral in Tahiti’s sister island of Mo’orea with Coral Gardeners, removed plastic and trash from Maui beaches, and interviewed ocean scientists and activists. The teen regularly posts educational videos on her YouTube channel. Her 2023 mini-film, Saving Florida’s Coral, earned her a place among PADI’s AmbassaDivers network and a mention in their round-up of 11 top female divers championing ocean conservation. And, the high school teen doesn’t slow down. Last fall, Saving Florida’s Coral and another film she made on the devastating impact of disappearing seagrass beds on manatee populations were shown at the Florida Environmental Film Festival. She also received Cape Coral’s Community Recognition Award. “Even though we’re young, we can still make a difference. Because all it really takes is spreading the word,” she says.
Photography by Anna Nguyen
Ethan Chhabra
Father and son Vikram “Vik” and Ethan Chhabra have long loved gardening together. When they were stuck at home during the pandemic, they started spending more time with their hands in the soil. That’s when Vik came up with the idea for the Estero-based One Flower Project, which sells and donates seed kits to attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators. For every $10 kit sold, the duo donates one kit to a school or teacher interested in a pollinator curriculum.
The seventh grader’s former school, Three Oaks Elementary School in Fort Myers, served as the project’s beta tester when Ethan and his dad donated a kit to one of the kindergarten teachers. The daily routine of watering the plants calmed her class of overstimulated tykes as the kids started looking forward to the activity.
The project took off with sales climbing nationwide. Since then, the Chhabras have also worked with local nurseries, seed purveyors and easy-to-assemble, vertical planter brand Garden Tower Project to provide kids with all the materials they need to build a pollinator or vegetable garden in a small footprint. In one after-school program, the students turned their Garden Tower into a pollinator plot with cosmos, wildflowers and sunflowers. At North Fort Myers’ Manatee Elementary School, the fourth-graders’ planting project prompted cafeteria staff to add a composting bin to create fertilizer for the garden. Today, the father-son duo is gearing up to work with another organization to expand the impact of One Flower Project.
Vik, who recently started a landscaping company, hopes seed packets inspire parents to spend more time outside with their children. Seeing plants grow and bees and birds flitting around shows his son the power of his efforts. He already sees the profound impact their efforts have on his son. “It teaches me and helps the planet at the same time,” 12-year-old Ethan says. More pollinators will help keep all our planets safe, which keeps all our animals safe, which keeps us healthy, too.”
Photography by Anna Nguyen
Nino Zampogna
Nino Zampogna was a second grader at Sea Gate Elementary School in Naples when he noticed that many kids appeared lonely or without friends as they returned to in-person schooling following the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. “People didn’t seem as happy as I remember them being in kindergarten,” Nino, who’s now in fifth grade, says. “A lot of my friends were virtual in first grade, and we lost touch through that time.” To fill the void, he started Sea Gate’s Friendship Club. “I made a poster and recruited some friends to help,” he adds.
The club meets most months to pick a project, like placing bookmarks with encouraging quotes (“Believe in Yourself,” “Never Give Up,”) in the library’s most popular books; hosting lunch mixers to encourage kids to make new friends; and leading playground cleanups. Over the past two years, the Friendship Club has sold scented pencils and raised around $1,500 for Laces of Love, a nonprofit that provides new shoes to children in need.
Nino’s club also helps promote the school’s Buddy Bench, where students have a designated spot to seek out new playmates or support; they use the school’s news segments to explain how the bench works to new kindergartners. In one short clip, a child approaches the buddy bench and says to another kid, “Hey, do you want to play Hula Hoop or Hopscotch?” and the new friend responds, “Sure.” A few seconds and a gentle nudge can be all young ones need to forge a connection.
Nino’s message for other kids? “You should always spread kindness to the world. And, always try to help somebody who doesn’t have a friend.”
Photography by Anna Nguyen
Paul Campbell Jr.
When Paul “Paulie” Campbell Jr. was on vacation in Hawaii, the 6-year-old saw people lined up with their belongings strapped to their backs or being towed in a wagon. He read their signs asking for money for food. Paulie couldn’t quite process the scene. These folks weren’t any different from him; why didn’t they have a home? His mother, Angela, met her boy’s anguish with hope: She’d help Paulie find a way to give back to unhoused individuals.
That was five years ago, when the family was still living in Pittsburgh. A year later, Paulie started the annual Paul’s Footprint drive to collect socks, thermal underwear, jackets and other winter essentials. Over the next four years, he donated 3,500 items to local homeless shelters.
When the Campbells moved to Naples last fall, Paulie was set on continuing his mission: “Covering two feet at a time,” the energetic 12-year-old says. Angela reached out to the Hunger & Homeless Coalition of Collier County and St. Matthew’s House, establishing new partners for the drive. The Oakridge Middle School sixth-grader posted a video on Facebook asking for Florida-friendly gear, including sunglasses, flip-flops, sunscreen and socks. Within two months, Paulie’s Amazon Wish List had more than 1,400 donations. Mother and son dropped the supplies off at St. Matthew’s House. “Being able to see people happy is what I enjoy most,” he says. “I like to see the smiles.”
Photography by Anna Nguyen