ALTOONA, Pa. -- There are some who believe that young people today are oblivious to the world around them and are focused solely on themselves. In 2008, Success By 6 countered that notion with numerous stories of kids reaching out to neighbors and giving back to their communities.

In 2008 as in years past, the Altoona Area High School Student Council brought the young and young at heart together with a series of free student-senior dances. Kids learned there is a lot of life after 65, and seniors walked away with hope for the future.

At Brockway High School in Jefferson County, students and teachers danced the night away in 2008. The student council "Dancing With The Stars" fundraiser helped to defray the cost of prescription drugs for elderly members of the community in financial need.

Senior projects are a great way to get kids involved in their communities. Amanda Pribulsky, now a graduate of Ferndale Area High School in Cambria County, organized a "Vollentine's Day" volleyball tournament in 2008 to raise money for "Making Strides for Breast Cancer" campaign. Amanda's grandmother is a cancer survivor.

From volleyball to basketball, Marion Center seniors Kellie Ruffner and Katie Cornman carried on the "4-on-4 For A Cure" basketball tournament in 2008, raising more than $3,700 for the Women's Imaging Center at Indiana Regional Medical Center.

For Cody Belle, 16, there was no grade or merit badge to be earned by volunteering at the Family Kitchen in Johnstown. The junior at Johnstown Christian School started serving lunch there over the summer just because he wanted to help. Last fall, he went a step further by organizing a fundraiser at Five Guys Restaurant to raise money for the soup kitchen.

Building better communities by bringing together youth and adults was the focus of the Join Hands Day Project by the Somerset County Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Youth from 4H and numerous church groups planted, picked and bagged homegrown potatoes for delivery at eight area food pantries -- 700 to 800 pounds per site.

The Cambria County Youth Advisory Council helped out in a very different way in 2008 by teaming up with the county's emergency management agency to promote the use of clearly visible numbers on houses and buildings to help police, fire and EMS when responding to emergencies. The kids sent out a prize patrol with gifts for homeowners and businesses that were marked properly and gave away packs of 3-inch high numbers to those that weren't.

And finally, eighth-graders at West Branch Junior-Senior High School in Clearfield County set out to help the environment in 2008 by composting leftover food from the school cafeteria. The idea came about when students registered for a national competition designed to empower young people to take action and help the environment. West Branch was among the schools recognized for their innovation. Congratulations to all Success By 6 students and schools for a job well done!