State Project - 2011-2012
Brochure Pg1 Pg2 | Submission Form | Video | Contact State Officers | Project Ideas | Items to Bring to State
Each student council in Iowa has the opportunity to participate as a joined effort to raise awareness for one cause each year.
"The state project this year is titled, "Voices for Victims". It was inspired solely by my 10 year-old neighbor, Ryan Demott. Last October, Ryan was critically injured in a campfire accident which resulted in over 70% of his body being covered in 3rd degree burns. Ryan was rushed to the burn unit in St. Elizabeth Hospital in Nebraska where he was deemed a less than 5% chance of survival within a little over the first 72 hours. Ryan suffered greatly for a very long time, as well did his mother, father, and sister Macy (who is 4) by watching him go through this pain.
Ryan has gone through more than 30 surgeries to save his life and reconstruct most of his skin. He has lost toes some toes, but nothing major. The doctors still gave Ryan a very slim chance of recovery seeing how his immune system was pretty much non existent, and how his throat was having problems. By a miracle, Ryan Demott came home from the hospital at the University of Iowa (he was transferred at one point) in the Spring of 2011.
Ryan now lives pretty much a normal life as a sixth grader at Harlan Community Middle School. He goes to therapy regularly and has surgeries every so often to release scar bands. Collectively, my town, as well as others who have felt the need to donate, have raised over $85,000 to support Ryan's family with the medical bills. There is not a day that goes by that I am not thankful for Ryan and the young man that he has become. Our families are extremely close and losing Ryan would have just broken us all."
- Sarah Olson, 1st Vice President
