Daken Kramer was 11 years old and in fifth grade at Thomas Ultican Elementary School in Blue Springs, Missouri. At the end of the school year, he learned that several classmates owed money for their lunches. Across the district, meal debt exceeded 235.000 dollars; at his school, it was around 3.500.
He recorded a video challenging friends, family, strangers, and local businesses to donate and pay off the debt. His goal was to raise 3.500 dollars; he raised 7.370, more than double what he expected.
The surplus also helped reduce the meal debt at another middle school in the district. “I just wanted to do something nice to thank the school”, Daken said. In his honor, the elementary school created the Daken Kramer Legacy Award, which will be presented each year to a fifth-grade student with the same spirit of service.