Zoe lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She already has raised over $15,000 for Heifer International, a charity that seeks to end world hunger through sustainable agriculture. Zoe raises money by selling handmade jewelry and through donations.

Zoe supports Heifer because it doesn't just give money to poor people. Instead, Heifer gives needy people animals, such as chickens, goats, or cows that the people raise to produce food. The firstborn of every animal gifted by Heifer goes to another needy family--in this way one gift keeps on giving! In 2009, Zoe raised her third $5,000 Heifer ark. An ark is fifteen pairs of animals that get spread around the world to help end world hunger.

Zoe raises money by making and selling earrings, rings, and bracelets. She designs and makes the jewelry at home with her mom and her friends. She sells at fairs, churches, synagogues, home sales, by email, and in many other places. Her prices are $8 for a pair of earrings or for a bracelet and $5 for a ring. Because the Capital Community Foundation set up a charitable account for her, Zoe also can accept tax-deductible donations to her project.

Zoe has been doing this charity project for over three years and says that she wants to continue donating to Heifer for a long time. Her dream is that one day every child will go to bed with a full stomach.

Here are some of Zoe's tips on how to get involved in a charity that interests you:

• Brainstorm about what matters to you. Maybe it's helping the elderly, teaching English to refugee children, providing clothing and food to homeless families, helping with stray pets, or being a companion to a child with cancer.

• Once you've identified the area that interests you, do some research on organizations that already might be working in that area. Here are some ideas for getting starting with your research: the internet, your local newspaper, or asking your parents, a teacher, a guidance counselor, or a librarian at school.

• Once you've found an organization that you like, call them up, introduce yourself and ask how you can help.

• If your first idea doesn't work out, don't be discouraged. Keep trying until you find something that you'll enjoy and is meaningful to you!

In addition to her charity work, Zoe loves fashion and enjoys experimenting with her wardrobe. This season Zoe is recommending the colors sky blue and blushing peach. For Spring and Summer, Zoe is looking for bright snappy cotton sundresses with skinny straps or strapless styles.

Don't forget to check out some of Zoe's amazing jewelry designs. But if you want to make your own, here are some of her hints for making earrings:

• Basic items that you'll need: round nose pliers (for making loops), flat pliers (for bending wire, opening loops, and lots of other things), wire cutters, headpins, beads, and earwires. Earwires are the things that go through your ear (sometimes they are called French loops). You can buy them but once you get good with your pliers you can make your own! Headpins are straight wires with a "pancake" end that keeps the beads from falling off. You also can get them with loops at the end, which are fun for attaching lots of pieces together for dangly earrings.

• To make a basic earring, drop your beads onto a headpin in a design that you like. Then, trim the headpin, leaving about ¼ inch at the end. Use your flat pliers to bend the end to a 90-degree angle. Then use your round nose pliers to make a loop with the bent piece. Be careful to pull the loop into a full circle. Use your flat pliers to open the loop on your earwire and slide the headpin loop in to attach the earring.

• Test out your design before you make a loop in your headpin. For designs, I like to combine bead sizes and textures. Sometimes I like to work with beads in one color tone (such as blue); other times I like contrasting colors (such as red and black).

To learn more about Zoe and her involvement with Heifer International, visit Zoe's web page: http://sites.google.com/site/zoesark.