Sammie Vance is an extraordinary kid. She was just named one of People's Girls Changing the World in 2021, and she is only 12 years old.
The seventh grader from Indiana is collecting bottle caps to upcycle （升级改造） them into benches for her school and neighborhood parks. But these benches are more than just for sitting. There are many kids in her school who have trouble finding friends.
Sammie learned about buddy （同伴） benches at a camp she attended one summer. At the camp, there were benches set up for children feeling lonely. They would sit down, signaling to other kids that they were in need of a friend.
She loved the idea and told others, "This would be really cool to have them at my school." Then she sprang into action by initiating a meeting with her president and the Parent-Teacher Association to present her idea.
Sammie used a comic strip （连环画） she created to show how a simple bench could help classmates understand when one of their own needed a friend. The adults were surely impressed by her initiative but were more impressed with how she planned to make the benches.
Sammie continued her efforts and expanded her project to collect more benches for other schools. She made an online page where she calls for others to follow her journey and make bottle cap donations.
Today, Sammie has helped fix 200 recycled benches in schools and neighborhoods and she has no plans to stop. She knows first-hand that a young age has no limitations to impacting the world. "I just look forward to making a difference," she said, "and inspiring other people to make a difference."
