A few years ago four young people in Yachats got together with the goal of contributing to their community.  They called themselves Helping Hands. Those youth, ages 11 and 12, met with city leaders and learned about community needs, project development, budgets, decision-making, and teamwork.  They chose a project, developed a budget, recruited volunteers, got approvals, and built and planted a Peace Garden on city property.  Since that first project, the group has grown in numbers and activities.  Their accomplishments include organizing annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrations, offering regular Teen Open Mic Nights, establishing a local food pantry, expanding the food pantry by collaborating with local churches and the City of Yachats, installing pooper scooper signs and bags in the community park, making regular visits to an Assisted Living Center, and developing a website.  Currently, Helping Hands is divided into two groups:  Senior Helping Hands is composed of high school students, many of them veteran members.  Junior Helping Hands members are middle school students, just beginning the journey of developing leadership skills and choosing their projects. Helping Hands won the 2009 statewide award of Rural Excellence in the youth category, presented by Rural Development Initiatives.  To see their acceptance speech and for more information about Helping Hands, visit the Helping Hands page.