In the New York Times last week, op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof featured several inspirational young people who he dubbed “Piggy-Bank Philanthropists.” These are kids that are giving big to causes that mean something to them.

Here are a few of the young philanthropists Kristof featured:

Rachel Rosenfeld — a high school junior in Harrison, N.Y., solicited enough contributions to build an elementary school in rural Cambodia. She had contracted a painful intestinal ailment that forced her to miss an entire year of school, so she resolved that if she couldn’t go to school herself, she could at least help other kids who wanted to.

Ana Slavin and Nick Anderson, two high school students in Massachusetts,, started a nationwide high school campaign, that has raised $420,000 for the people of Darfur from 440 schools.

Allyson Brown, a 16-year-old in Melbourne, Florida, organized a Valentine’s dance at her high school, with the proceeds going to fight malaria in Africa. The campaign that grew out of this dance has attracted more than 100 schools in 31 states to raise money to buy mosquito bed nets that protect families from malaria.

In his article, Kristof said:

The humanitarian prodigies like Ana and Nick are laudable for going beyond simple protesting to help their causes. Today’s young social entrepreneurs come across as more constructive than my generation of student activists, and more savvy about how to accomplish their goals cost-effectively.

Stories like these are truly inspiring, and we’re finding more and more every day.

Kristof invites you to comment on the article here.

Other torch-passers:
Educational Entertainment
There’s Hope
Yeah! Yeah! Outloud

Do you have a story about kids that make you proud, or adults who are passing the torch? Please let me know and I’ll spread the word on Pass the Torch Tuesday.Former PTT posts.

My book, Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things, will be available in June, from Search Institute Press.