Maria Garcia has helped older people since she was a teenager. She grew up on an Indian Reservation in North Dakota and graduated from high school in 2001 with high honors. She began working when she was 14, attending high school at the same time -- and for the last year and a half of school, she worked at a nursing home, bringing smiles to all her new grandpas and grandmas.

When she left for Chicago for college she started a part-time job at a church where she helped to put a program together for seniors, cooking afternoon meals and creating activity programs for them. Recently, she started an after-school program for grade school children who need help with school work and who need a big sister. Maria also had a church summer camp for children this summer where she had fun activities and taught them about the bible. Her programs for both seniors and children have been a great help to both the young and the old and have not gone unnoticed. She is an outstanding young women and we need more like her in the community.

We are so proud of her here in Newtown ND, and to her Native people she is someone we will be proud of her always.

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