Laren Poole

Growing up in this time you expect everyone's life to be the same. You grow up not worrying about anything and have things given to you on a silver platter. That's not how things are in other countries. In Uganda, Joseph Kony is raping, killing, and abducting kids from ages 6-15 and using them as weapons. They are fleeing their homes in search of freedom, hoping that Joseph Kony won't find them. They are forced to kill their own family, tribe, and friends. Laren Poole says, "No life should be taken in vein."

To me a hero is someone that inspires you to achieve the impossible. To go above and beyond and do the best you possibly can. Someone that makes you want to get up and make a difference. Someone who makes you feel like what you are doing is important and that giving up isn't an option. Someone who won't stop until they achieve their dream no matter how hard it is. "Do not stop at no, but instead, keep looking for a new route to yes."-Laren Poole.

Laren Poole is my hero because he has recognized something that has gone unrecognized for more than 17 years. He founded an organization called Invisible Children which attempts to bring peace to Northern Uganda.He say's'"Invisible Children's fight is not just about stopping this man and his rebels, or ending one war.... well, it is... but it also about all of us asking ourselves; is my life more valuable then theirs?" There has been a war going on there led by Joseph Kony. He abducts children from their home and puts a gun in their hands. They get no choice or no one to help them. If he tells you to fight that's what you do or you die. Laren is trying to stop that. He wants peace for the people in Uganda who constantly worry about being taken to fight. The kids are forced having to leave their homes, going to cities to escape Kony. Laren Poole is not just my hero but all the people that have helped in spreading the story. Going from city to city informing people and telling people what they can do to help. There one goal is to end this war and Laren Poole won't give up until he has accomplished it.

Invisible Children was founded in 2003. It started by Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole who went to Uganda to film a movie and they were disturbed but also were inspired to make a difference. They wanted to help stop the 20 year long war. Invisible Children gives kids an education and provides them a safe environment to live in. They want them to have a chance at a normal life. They were awarded with the 2008 Human Security Award. About 146 people die each week during this war. About 25,000 kids have been kidnapped during this war. The war related deaths here are 3 times higher then the number of killings in Iraq. Someone named Tony in Uganda says, "It's all about refills in America." That's true, we are sitting here buying things we don't need when there are people around the world starving. There are people out there that need our help and we can't sit around and just stare at them. We need to stand up and help.