Fort Wayne teen wins national award

Fort Wayne, Ind. (WANE) - A local teenager was honored on Tuesday, October 5, 2010 in Dallas, Texas for her hard work and dedication in support of American troops overseas.

Alison Mansfield, 15, of Fort Wayne, was a recipient of the 2010 Caring Award, presented by the Caring Institute  www.caring-institute.org/. The non-profit organization was founded in 1985 and is based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to promote the values of caring, integrity, and public service.

The 23rd annual awards ceremony was held in Dallas on Tuesday morning, and Alison was one of five young adults nationwide to receive this honor.

She’s a sophomore at Homestead High School and is the founder of Operation U.S. Troop Support www.operationustroopsupport.org.   During the past five years, she has gathered more than 50,000 items for the troops.

“It can start small; and you'll be surprised. If you're enthusiastic about your project and you tell people about how important it is, they'll be willing to help and it can grow from there," Alison said.

In addition to the award, Alison also received a $2,000 scholarship and will be inducted into the Caring Hall of Fame at the Frederick Douglass Museum on Capitol Hill.