Biography

My name is Maggie Fazenbaker and I am about to turn 14 years old. My parents have always tried to teach me that I am blessed and that Americans should not take their lives in this country for granted. I have been taught since we came to Alamorgordo nearly 10 years ago, that anyone of any age can help someone else. My church maintains a food pantry and does food drives for needy families at the holidays. From a young age I have helped sort the food, pack the deliveries and even deliver with my family. This year I organized the food drive myself through my school and we were able to supply more than 40 families with large food baskets to carry them through the holidays and left the church food pantry stocked for the future as well.

I decided in 3rd grade that I had so much stuff given to me at my birthdays that I wanted to do for others on that day. My school at the time had only 100 kids in it and it had a very small library. We didn't have a big selection of books to read at school. So I decided for my next two birthdays, I would ask that people would give me books for my birthday to outfit the school library. I donated 200 books to the library with the help of my family and friends. The following birthday I decided to benefit Blankets and Bears for the Otero County Sheriff's Department. My birthday provided 17 stuffed animals and 15 blankets to the sheriff'sdepartment. I remember during September 11, 2001 asking my mother what I could do to help someone. My father was stationed in Turkey and like most kids, the situation of our country made me feel like there was nothing I could do. In little more than a week, my mother made an American flag quilt for my school to raffle. We sold $1,052 worth of tickets and donated it to the Red Cross.

But what I am most proud of is my project, "Operation Soldier Smiles." I started this project in October 2004, at the age of 11. I am still doing it and am commited to doing it until the war ends. My father was deployed to the beginning of Iraqi Freedom. While he was at the war, his childhood church sent him a care package. I thought it was really nice that people that didn't even know him now, or that only remembered him from childhood would think of him in the way. I thought I could do this. To date I have sent 2,858 care packages to the war zone. They are delivered compliments of Ft. Bliss Deployment Center and the U.S. Army. My goal is to exceed the ever-growing death toll of American lives lost in this war. I fundraise in any way I can to earn the money to buy supplies for these care packages and I encourage the community to donate money and supplies for them. I want the soldiers to know that my community cares for them and wants them to remain safe and return home. I am thankful every day that my dad did just that. While this has been and continues to be a long-term project, I will stick with it and it will not be my last project. There is so much more I want to do.