december-2009

DECEMBER 2009 | UNITED.COM
44 hero
Teen Spirit
In between soccer practice, swim meets and dance class,
RandomKid founder Talia Leman helps young people around
the world organize their own philanthropic efforts.
BY LAYLA SCHLACK // PHOTOGRAPH BY SANDRA L. DYAS
NAME • TALIA LEMAN, 14
MISSION • Providing structural
support, interest-free microloans
and education to kids wishing to
raise money for a cause. “When
I was ten, after Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita, I started a
project called TLC,” Leman says.
“It stands for Trick-or-treat for
the Levee Catastrophe. Kids
could trick-or-treat for coins
as well as candy, and I raised
ten million dollars. From there,
I founded RandomKid.” Now
she’s also working with the
University of Iowa, in her home
state, on a project called Great
Strides. “We’re sending kids free
pedometers, and they get pledges
for the miles they walk to help
kids with club feet, so it’s kind
of walking to help others walk.
Instead of surgery, which is really
expensive, we’re using something
called the Ponseti method, which
uses a series of braces.”
MOTIVATION • After witnessing the
success of TLC, Leman says, “I
realized I really was a random kid.
I’m no one special, and I might not
be able to do everything on my
own, but by reaching out to other
people, I can make a difference.”
WHEN SHE GROWS UP • “I don’t know
yet if philanthropy is what I
want to do,” Leman says. “I’m just
taking it one project at a time. If
I had to say right now, I’m really
interested in medicine, so maybe
working with health care in
underdeveloped countries.”
LEND A HAND • Ninety-nine
percent of funds donated to
RandomKid go to projects such as
training service dogs, providing
clean water to impoverished
villages and building schools in
underdeveloped countries.
Learn more at randomkid.org