Creating change through choreography at Croton-Harmon High School

Maggie’s dance troupe taking action!

Croton-Harmon High School is a public school located in the suburbs of Westchester County, New York. The Free The Children group at Croton-Harmon is led by 16-year-old Maggie Lipton. Maggie first became interested in Free The Children after hearing Joe Opatowski—a Free The Children team member—speak at her school in 2004. The speech was one of Joe’s last, as he passed away shortly after.

Maggie never forgot Joe’s speech or his passion for global awareness, and this year decided to take action in his memory.

Maggie decided to combine her passion for issues affecting children with her love of dancing. She started her own dance troupe, which performed at her high school on December 8, 2006. In addition to coordinating all the logistical details of the recital, from lighting to ticket sales, Maggie choreographed all the dances herself. All proceeds from the event went to support Free The Children projects. At the recital, Maggie also passed out information on Free The Children and set up a booth to educate the entire community. In all, Maggie and her troupe raised more than $1,200 to help kids in Free The Children’s project countries. Now that is something to celebrate! 

Start your own Youth in Action Group and help children living overseas
Throw a Celebrate for Change party to celebrate your accomplishments and make a difference
Connect with youth who are making a difference by joining YouthZone Groups

Free The Children is the largest network of children helping children through education in the world, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has an established track-record of success, with three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.