The following letter was written by one of the students who attended the Spirit of America
Youth Leadership Conference in April 2013
The Story of the Spirit of America
by Catherine (CC) Crowe, Ursuline Academy
We all have our own vision of America. It could be a porch looking out onto our back yards, a
quaint suburb, a city street with lots of cars or a backwoods cabin filled with hunting gear. We
can work hard to make America a place we want to be, the best reflection tomorrow of our
society today. This past April, 15 local high school students traveled to Philadelphia to take part
in the Spirit of America Youth Leadership Conference at Valley Forge, sponsored by the
Freedoms Foundation. We were those 15, and we returned with a little more confidence,
made more friends, and a whole new sense of what America is, and how much it means to be
an American.
Through many activities, we learned different aspects of being leaders in schools and
responsible citizens in our nation. We were to redefine our roles as Americans and as students
alike. One such activity was the entrepreneurship challenge, placing an emphasis on business
knowledge, presentation skills, and especially innovation. Accompanying this activity was a
speaker who created his own corporation and imparted on us many lessons about business,
school and life in general. These activities left all of the students feeling more confident,
ambitious and capable of being an effective leader and citizen.
Another life-changing aspect of our Valley Forge adventure was the caliber of students that we
had the opportunity to form friendships with. Imagine a group of high school students striving
to be the highest quality they could possibly be with visions of becoming nothing short of
accomplished adults. These high school students harbor such love for this country, a drive to
preserve its original ideals, and a love for the people within it. They are people who empower
others through encouragement, acceptance, and remarkable leadership skills. Every single
student at the conference was responsible, intelligent, friendly and a leader. To be a true
leader, one is set apart from the crowd (by) their love for people, willingness to take action,
listening skills, and visionary abilities. Leaders are everywhere making a difference, but this
conference is an opportunity to come together and hone these leadership skills with other
students who deal with the same daily obstacles.
We were able to catch a meaningful glimpse into the significance and the events behind
different aspects of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. For example, we were able to
analyze different factors like the clash between liberty and security and how finding a balance
influenced things like the Fourth Amendment. In addition, being able to debate, think critically,
and understand and interpret our rights from a historical view allows us to understand current
issues like the Patriot Act and the recent NSA affairs. Not only were we able to understand
historical landmarks, but now we are also equipped to become involved politically, or at least
be able to understand and (relate) effectively to issues of today.
In conclusion, we would like to thank the Freedoms Foundation and their sponsors for allowing
us to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience with other young leaders in our country. We
have grown as critical thinkers, leaders, and responsible citizens. This is why we would like to
ask you to become a donor to the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the Freedoms Foundation at
Valley Forge. Your donation provides the means for high school students to have this one of a
kind experience. We ask you to help us keep the spirit alive by helping other high school
students to partake in this life-changing experience. If you would like to give more high
schoolers the chance to grow as students and as citizens of the United States, please contact
Bob Stevens at res1937@gmail.com.