KID QUEST
Songwriters Win National Contest

Have you ever sat around a campfire and sung songs?

Maybe someday you'll be singing a song written by four Texas girls at an MDA summer camp last year. It's one of only 10 songs to win a national Girl Scouts songwriting contest, and is being released on a CD this month.

"I Want to Thank You" was written with the help of professional singer-songwriter Jana Stanfield (pictured second from left), a volunteer at Camp John Marc in Meridian, Texas. The authors are (from left) Brittany Spanier (10, dermatomyositis), Rosario Chavarria (9, SMA), Brandee Deibert (12, limb-girdle MD) and Veronica Aviles (11, SMA).

The four girls were sharing a cabin at camp and wanted to come up >with something good for the camp talent show. "We had never written a song before, but it was kind of easy," says Veronica, who plays a little piano and likes to sing. Jana supplied the tune, and the girls wrote the words in English, Spanish and sign language because, "we wanted to make it a sweet song that everybody could understand," explains Brittany, who hopes to have her own band someday.

Stanfield entered the song in a Girl Scouts contest and the judges picked it over 380 other entries. It's being released on the Girl Scouts 90th anniversary CD called Sisters Hand in Hand: New Songs for Girl Scouts Everywhere (available from your local Girl Scouts council or online at www.girlscouts.org).

"When my mom told me it had won, I just went all over the house screaming, I was so excited," laughs Brandee. Brandee loves to sing and has taught the song to her friends.

The song's words are: I want to thank you for great memories. I want to thank you for being there for me. I want to thank you, you're my only one. I want to thank you, I had fun!

Along with the honor came a $1,000 prize, which was split among the four girls.

Thank You Sarah!

Sarah Schwegel, 8 (shown here with her dog, Ashley) has spent the past year traveling and appearing as the MDA 2001 National Goodwill Ambassador. What was it like? Sarah explains:

	What was the best part about being MDA's National Goodwill Ambassador? The best part was getting to meet a lot of new people. What was the hardest part? The hardest part, honestly, was having to write all those thank-you notes! What advice do you have for Mattie Stepanek, the 2002 MDA National Goodwill Ambassador? I don't think Mattie needs any advice! You just have to be yourself.