Carolyn Alexander

Ana Dodson is the daughter of one of our Evergreen Rotary Club members. I first met Ana when she was ... perhaps 8 or 9. I'm not sure about that, but I do remember her coming to our Rotary Club just before she made her first trip to Peru, where she was born, and asking us for teddy bears.

When Ana came home, she started an organization called Peruvian Hearts to help the children of an orphanage near where she was born, in Cuzco.

The change in Ana over the last six years has been a delight to see. She periodically reports to us the progress her organization, Peruvian Hearts, is making. The extremely shy, soft-spoken girl of six years ago has blossomed into a confident, well-spoken young girl of 15. She is still soft-spoken and unassuming, but exudes a quiet confidence.

Ana will be featured on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" on Thursday, August 23. It will be aired again on Tuesday, August 28, and on Saturday, September 1. Rocco, Ana's dad, says that CNN filmed Ana in Peru a couple of weeks ago and this will be one of their "hero" reports.