 4-H'er Kelcie Thomas was selected to carry the 2010 Olympic Torch for community project, "Creating a Healthier You." |
UPDATE: Kelcie Thomas and Laura Webber will carry the Olympic Torch on Monday, Jan. 18. Kelcie will receive the Torch at 3:48 p.m. EST, and will pass it on to Laura at 3:57 p.m. Watch them on Canada’s CTV live stream here: http://www.ctvolympics.ca/torch/follow-torch/index.html
4-H’ers Kelcie Thomas and Laura Webber are among 10 teens selected by Coca-Cola to serve as Torchbearers for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay. Thomas, Webber and the eight additional teens were selected based upon their community-based programs, which show their dedication to one of three areas: Balanced Living, Community and Recycling.
“I didn’t even know that I was nominated, so I was pretty excited when I found out that I was selected,” said Thomas, who was nominated by her 4-H leaders. “I have never been on an airplane or out of the country before.”
Thomas, a native of Oak City, Utah, has helped educate over 245,000 elementary school children about healthy eating and exercise habits through her project, “Creating a Healthier You,” which represents Balanced Living.
While a junior in high school two years ago, Thomas was working on a research paper on childhood obesity, and was inspired to start her project to improve the lives of youth. She raised money to buy equipment for physical education classes, taught dance classes and distributed jump ropes with a pamphlet covering food and nutrition facts to all schools in Utah.
Laura Webber created her project, “4-H Million Trees,” after watching an Oscar winning movie.
“After watching the movie, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ in 2007, I was shocked into taking action,” said Webber, a Pacifica, Calif., resident, who wanted help combat global climate change. “4-H Million Trees” is included in the Recycling category.
Webber set the goal of planting one million trees across the continent, and with the help of 4 H’ers in clubs worldwide, has planted over 72,000 trees so far.
 Laura Webber was selected to carry the Olympic Torch for her "4-H Million Trees" procject. |
“I hope to raise awareness of the project an inspire 4-H’ers to lead service projects of their own.”
“These inspirational people have shown remarkable dedication in encouraging others and making a positive difference in so many lives, traits that Coca-Cola has long embraced,” Celeste Bottorff, Vice President of Living Well, Coca-Cola North America, said in a prepared statement regarding the 10 Torchbearers.
“Coca-Cola is saluting these champions of positive living by recognizing them with the special opportunity to carry the Olympic Flame.”
Jan. 18, 2010, both Thomas and Webber will carry the Olympic Flame for 300 meters through Calgary, Canada as it makes its way to Vancouver for the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games on Feb. 12.
The Olympic Torch Relay, will last for 106 days, cover more than 27,000 miles and link together more than 1,000 communities and places of interest throughout Canada.
View Webber and other Torchbearers in the video below. Learn more about their projects and the Torch route at www.LivePositively.com.