Savannah earned

her award by developing a project known as "Red Carpet Day,"

a three-day event including a concert and a day at Six Flags over Georgia

for teenagers with cancer.

"I have

never met a high school student with such powerful sense of self and compassion

for others as Savannah. She has more initiative, personal magnetism and

drive than many people twice her age," said Jeannie F. Addams, president

of Cure for Childhood Cancer, in a letter of recommendation she wrote

for the award nomination.

Savannah was

first diagnosed with cancer when she was in the sixth grade and had to

undergo 10 months of chemotherapy treatment. Near the end of seventh grade,

she had completed her treatment but had lost contact with many of her

friends and was dealing feelings of isolation.

Just as she

was getting her life back on track, she became sick halfway through the

tenth grade and learned that the cancer had returned. Although the pain

and struggle of the disease was back, Savannah chose to tackle the second

go around differently. She made it a point to be a high school student

first and a cancer patient second.

"I was

involved in a number of clubs and had many friends. I reached out to them

and kept in constant contact. The first time I retreated into myself and

I knew that this time it was up to me to keep my life as normal as possible.

Kids our age don't understand, and can't be expected to understand, what

is going on with you physically when battling a disease like this so I

took it upon myself to stay involved," she said.

Not only did

she reach out to her friends, but Savannah also found other ways to look

outward from her disease. She immediately began working on her Girl Scout

Gold Award Project, which turned out to be Red Carpet Day. The first event

was held May 30-June 1, 2002. She secured 200 park admission tickets to

Six Flags and sent invitations to social workers at 13 hospitals throughout

the southeastern United States.

Each hospital

was invited to send two adults (at least one had to be on the medical

staff) plus 12 teenagers for an all-expense-paid trip to Atlanta. Savannah

specified that first choice should be given to teenagers who had relapsed

or to those who were homebound because they are the ones who are most

likely to feel isolated and need a morale boost.

Savannah did

all the planning and securing of donations while going through chemotherapy

and radiation treatments.

"When

I got sick the second time I had just finished my prerequisites for the

Girl Scout project. I worked on Red Carpet Day while I was in the hospital

and it was one of the things in my life that kept me going. I kept thinking

that in six months I am going to have a big party," she said.

Savannah says

Red Carpet Day is different from other events for cancer patients because

teenagers must be currently battling the disease or have been off of treatment

for no longer than one year. When she was diagnosed with cancer the first

time, she went to Camp Sunshine, which is open to kids who have had cancer

at any point in their lifetimes. She says many of the people she met had

had cancer at the age of two and did not remember the pain.

"It was

hard for me to relate to them because they didn't remember what it was

like and couldn't relate to how I was feeling and what I was going through

at the time. Red Carpet Day gives kids currently battling cancer a chance

to meet each other and share what they are feeling," she said.

For the second

year in a row, Savannah has organized another Red Carpet Day for June

3-6, 2003. She says this year's event will be even better than the first

one. Participants will stay at Lake Lanier on Emerald Point and will enjoy

activities such as a concert, movie night, day at the spa and scavenger

hunt. On June 4, Northside Limo Service will donate limousines and drivers

to take the approximately 70 teenagers to Six Flags where the park will

roll out the red carpet to welcome everyone.

Savannah says

she has many sponsors to thank for making Red Carpet Day a reality. Among

them are Ronald McDonald House, Cure for Childhood Cancer, Six Flags Over

Georgia, Lake Lanier Islands Resort and her family and friends.