Hi! My name is Sawyer Anderson and I’m your new Miss Pre
Teen Flickertail International 2021. I’m a 6th grader at Oak Grove
Lutheran School in Fargo. My favorite subjects in school are Art & History
(particularly early history from the 1700’s). I am very involved in
extracurricular activities. I’m a competitive dancer with BAS Studios in Fargo,
I have held numerous roles in theatre productions at Oak Grove, I am active in
both volleyball and basketball at Oak Grove, I play the drums at Elevate Rock
School, and am very active in Hope Lutheran Church’s Confirmation Ministry. My
hobbies include reading and drawing.
I have been recognized both at my school and in my
community, receiving the following awards:
-
Champion of Charity Award through the FM Raise
Your Spirits nonprofit organization which recognizes and awards individuals
that go above and beyond in the Fargo-Moorhead community. I am the youngest
award winner to date.
-
The Gustav and Margarett Hektner Family Academic
Excellence scholarship for the 2020-21 school year at Oak Grove Lutheran School
-
Mighty Acorn (emerging leader) award at Oak
Grove in 2019
- Recipient of two Oak Grove Theatre Rose Awards in 2019, including Rookie of the Year and the Beth Nicely Spirit Award
-
2020 Lions Club International Peace Prize Poster
contest winner
When I’m not at school or activities, you can find me
working tirelessly to help bring safe, clean water to the poverty-stricken
villages of south-central Africa.
My dad traveled to Zambia, Africa, in 2017 on a church
mission trip. When he returned home he told me stories about kids my age (and
younger) who had died or experienced significant injuries after walking several
miles to get water, often from dirty, shallow wells and ponds. I thought “that’s
not fair, every kid should have water”. I set out to help save one life by
selling cookies at my grandma’s garage sale. Things kind of took off from
there! Selling cookies turned into partnering with the children’s ministry
program at my church to design, sew and sell authentic African-inspired
Chitenge bags. I continue to sell the Chitenge bags for $50 each, which
represents the cost to provide clean water for one person for a lifetime.
In June 2019, a book that I wrote and illustrated, titled Water
Works, was released. In 2020 Water Works was published in Vietnamese
and in English in Zambia. Water Works has sold more than 14,000 copies
to date worldwide. With my Water Works book in hand, I have spoken to
nearly 100 different churches, schools, nonprofit organizations, service clubs,
businesses, and other groups.
I am the youngest person, and only author, to partner with Wellspring
for the World and World Vision in a ‘co-venture cause agreement’ to bring safe,
clean water to people in Africa. With the help of Wellspring and World Vision,
I have now raised more than $150,000, funding 55 wells and saving more than
16,000 lives.
“I guess a kid really can make a difference.”
