Zoe was featured on the Channel 7 News for her participation in the Tedx Youth@Miami event. Following is the article from the WSVN website:
9-year-old girl develops non-profit to help girls around the world
MIAMI (WSVN) — Nine-year-old Zoe Terry has created her own non-profit organization to help girls all around the world.
When she was 2 years old, Terry has a stroke which had a big impact on her life. “You know how other kids are really good at riding bikes and stuff? That’s a little bit harder for me,” she said. “Swimming, kicking — like my motor skills are not really advanced.”
Because of the obvious differences from her peers, bullying came from other kids. “I would be picked on because my skin was different,” Terry said. “This one girl would say, ‘Your hair is so puffy.’ She’d say my skin is so dark and it would really hurt my feelings.”
The feelings Terry got inspired her to help other girls who may have similar feelings. When she was 5 years old, Terry became the CEO of her non-profit Zoe’s Dolls. To date, she has given over 1,000 dolls of color to girls around the world during the holidays.
“I wanted little brown girls to know their image is beautiful and because at that time, I was being bullied,” Terry said. “I was being bullied because I was different.”
Terry is now making a difference. Her story and her strength is why she was selected to take part in the TEDxYouth event where children and young adults all showcase their ideas that are making a positive impact on our community. “Have you ever been told you would not be able to do something? Have you ever felt being different was bad? Have you ever tried something and failed? I can fortunately say yes,” Terry said in her speech.
The event was founded by Arvi Balseiro. Her goal is to put a shining a light on the importance and power of the mind of children and young adults.
“We become so excited and full of hope because what we see is an evolving community of children and young adults that are finding their place in this community that are already impacting it,” Balseiro said. “Each one of them has a very unique story, and in that story, very often, you will see the thread of perseverance throughout. And how important it is that when you have something you believe very strongly about, that you’re going to stand up and take action.”
For Terry, that action is collecting donated dolls every year until December when she distributes them around Christmas. She said believing and knowing that nothing is impossible — has helped her turn a sour situation into a sweet moment for thousands of people. “It makes me feel so happy because I know that I’ve done something good,” she said. “I know that now.”
Direct link to the article: http://www.wsvn.com/story/31335974/9-year-old-girl-develops-non-profit-to-help-girls-around-the-world