Wheaton teen who has raised more than $740,000 for charity honored

The average teenager can only dream of starting a charity, meeting a former president and appearing on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Kendall Ciesemier is not an average teenager.

In 2004, at just 11 years old, Kendall founded her organization, Kids Caring 4 Kids, to raise money for children in Africa. Since then, the Wheaton girl has raised more than $740,000 and been recognized by the likes of former President Bill Clinton and Oprah.

Kendall, now 16, received her most recent honor in June when she was selected by Build-A-Bear Workshop as a member of the 2009 class of Huggable Heroes.

"It's pretty incredible," Kendall said. "I never imagined it would be this big or that I'd be recognized like this."

Founded in 2004, the Huggable Heroes program recognizes leaders 18 and younger who are making a difference in their schools, communities and beyond. Honorees receive a $7,500 scholarship and $2,500 for a charity of their choice.

This year's 12 Huggable Heroes were selected from an estimated 900 entrees. They will travel to Build-A-Bear's World Bearquarters in St. Louis, Mo., July 22-24, to participate in ceremonies and leadership workshops.

"We are so proud of Kendall and all of the Huggable Heroes for their contributions to make the world a better place. Not only is she helping to improve the lives of children in Africa, but she is inspiring other kids to care about those in need," said Molly Salky, managing director of investor and public relations for Build-A-Bear Workshop.

Kendall was nominated for the program earlier this year by neighbor and longtime family friend Kraig Knudsen, who said he admires her commitment and compassion.

"Kendall is a special kid who holds it all together," Knudsen said. "She has her own ordeal, yet still takes time to do things for other people."

Kendall's mission began after watching an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that detailed the AIDS crisis in Africa. Upset by the number of orphaned and impoverished children, she sent $360 of her own money to World Vision to sponsor a young girl from Zambia.

Kendall soon found herself dealing with her own adversities. Born with a congenital liver disease, she was forced to undergo her first transplant in June 2004. A complication forced a second transplant just two months later.

Despite the setback, Kendall forged ahead with her fundraising efforts. Knowing she would receive a slew of flowers and gifts from family and friends, she asked instead for donations to send to Africa.

"Ever since I was born I've had this unconscious sense that I need to help people," Kendall said.

With her parents' help, Kendall set up Kids Caring 4 Kids to not only increase fundraising efforts, but also encourage other kids to get involved.

"I want to inspire other kids and empower them to care for those in need," she said. "It's a pay-it-forward kind of thing."

In September 2007, Kendall's efforts were recognized by former President Clinton when he surprised her at Wheaton North High School. He then took her to a taping of "Oprah," where she learned an anonymous donor was giving $500,000 to her organization.

Though she has committed much of her time to working on her foundation, Kendall also keeps busy at Wheaton North, where she just completed her sophomore year. Aside from serving as class president, she played tennis, competed on the varsity speech team and worked with special needs students.

This April, Kendall celebrated the launch of her charity's new "i care 2" kit. Her parents, Michael and Ellery Ciesemier, said the idea was to "put Kendall in a box" and make it easy for other kids to get involved.

"For a lot of kids the desire is there, but we wanted to empower them to do something special," Michael Ciesemier said.

The "i care 2" kit is free and includes a letter from Kendall, an informational DVD, a T-shirt and a step-by-step guide to giving.

"Ultimately, I think I would want a bigger foundation to adopt my charity as its kids' program," Kendall said. "I believe it's easier to get kids involved because they never think anything is impossible."

Get involved

To learn more about Kids Caring 4 Kids or to order an "i care 2" kit, visit kidscaring4kids.org.

Kendall's projects

Kids Caring 4 Kids has worked with organizations to:

• Feed more than 600 orphans, widows and AIDS patients in Zambia

• Help build Hope for Life Center in Kenya

• Provide clean water in Zambia

• Build a dorm in Ngulini, a Kenyan community with nearly 30 orphan girls

• Support an orphan care center in South Africa

• Build bikes for kids in Zambia

• Rescue child laborers in Ghana