Cans of compassion

Jonnie and Brookie, 11- and 12-year-old sisters, demonstrated this by starting their singing and caring career by using a Barbie Jeep and attachable wagon to collect 1,000 cans of food to feed their hungry neighbors.

But their initial efforts and inspiration caught on so fast that the sisters from Arizona have since had to expand their reach, entertaining and helping people in need all over the nation and the world.

Now these young wonders spend much of their free time producing records, putting together books, sharing their stories with others and performing "Kids CAN Make A Difference" concerts, where "CANS" serves as a play-on words tying to their focus on collecting 100,000 cans of food for needy everywhere.

"Their first project with the Jeep wagon was so successful that after a couple of years, we had to expand for fear that our neighbors would get tired of giving so many cans," said Melinda, mother of Jonnie and Brookie. So it was only natural that they combine their compassion with their gift of writing and singing music as they sought to motivate other kids.

"It's a lot of fun to perform and to make a difference," said Brookie, the younger of the two. "It's not that hard to help."

"We started singing together when we were 3 and 5," their diary-like promotional Web page says, about the same time they started their first canned food drive.

The duo has also created several motivational CD's for young people with titles like "Make a Difference," "Let Freedom Ring" and "Voices that Care." They regularly perform for stations of the Disney Radio, a community service network.

The girls perform regularly for audiences of between 50 and 50,000, hoping to engage other kids and adults alike in malls, auditoriums or anywhere else that they can bring people together.

"They try to respond to groups where other young people can be part of making a difference. And all the money goes to the charity," said Melinda, adding that since their family was blessed, they take nothing from the proceeds and strive to give as much back as they can to those in need.

The "Kids CAN" concert idea was created by Jonnie and Brookie. It was a way to link their canned food successes with the singing that they both enjoy. Jonnie would like to be an actress, and Brookie wants to be TV star.

At their concerts, fans can either bring food, which is then delivered to a local food bank or they can buy copies of the girls' CDs, books or other products, with the proceeds being converted into a corresponding amount of food or care packages. The purchase of a single CD is worth 30 cans of food.

This is the heart of their plan to collect 100,000 cans. So far they have collected over 18,000 cans, not including their early Jeep and wagon successes!

The girls say their goal was to create family products that kids and parents could enjoy. Their mother and father pitch in as well. John helps with the Web site and performance logistics, as well as by promoting their efforts.

Mom summarized that her job is to help with the message. "The girls' message is that giving back is cool and that all kids can make a difference. You don't have to be involved in big projects; simple things work also. Anything that gets kids to think more of someone else than of themselves for awhile will work; imagine what this world would be if everyone did this."

But the family's generosity has grown beyond this initial food drive, giving them a chance to use more than just cans to convey their compassion. Their new Happy Packs project uses a portion of performance funds to fill backpacks with stuffed animals, coloring supplies, craft kits and their own books. They give these backpacks to sick children in the Phoenix Children's Hospital's Ronald McDonald House.

But children are only one of the beneficiaries of their holiday spirit. Inspired by their brother David's engagement in the U.S. Marine Corp in Japan and to help all the soldiers in Iraq, they started an Adopt a Marine project. Soldiers receive their bundles of helpful items and information about what the girls do to encourage other kids to support America's troops. Donations from some of their CDs also go toward their "Let Freedom Ring" CDs. So far they have provided $7,500 worth of caring to America's soldiers.

The Jonnie and Brookie project is a living example of showing to others just how powerful a strong, caring character can be. Their projects are tied directly to a Character Counts project that is used widely in the Arizona school system. The project emphasizes the Six Pillars of Character and how young people can incorporate trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship in their everyday lives.

"The Character Counts project is just fantastic," said Melinda. It's something worth its own coverage, she noted proudly, connecting her family's success to projects like this.

One way that Jonnie and Brookie are looking to expand their impact is by creating an ongoing contest where they will award $25 to $75 gift certificates to young people who write and share what they too are doing to help others. Some guiding thoughts and ideas are present on their Web site for those who might also want to discover for themselves that there are in fact many ways to "can" one's commitment to compassion.

They are working to make this contest an ongoing part of their work, so they can continue to hear what other kids are doing to make a difference.

Young people, community projects or schools that might wish to invite Jonnie and Brookie into their efforts can email an inquiry to JandB@jonnieandbrookie.com.