S.C.O.U.T. - B.A.N.A.N.A.

Alex Hill
Grand Blanc, MI
Issue: Healthcare
Age: 17

In the summer of 2001, a new and unlikely resident was introduced to the small town of Grand Blanc, Michigan. Over the course of a year, a life-size cardboard and foam figure of an East African priest attended a string of reunions, birthday parties, poker games, first communions, and even shared a laugh with on-duty police officers.

The cardboard personality was the brainchild of Alex Hill, a dedicated Boy Scout who helped the Ugandan village of the real-life priest Father Joseph Birungi obtain an ambulance and life-saving medical supplies.

Alex, 17, conceived the idea to raise donations for the community's medical needs after he met and befriended Father Birungi, who was visiting the Hills' church in Michigan from his home parish of Bukuumi in Uganda. Alex's initiative, dubbed "S.C.O.U.T.- B.A.N.A.N.A.," rallied his home town of Grand Blanc, including his fellow students, parishioners, family and Boy Scouts, to

host the cardboard cut-outs of Fr. Joseph. Each host group received a suitcase of informational materials about medical needs in Uganda and a yard sign reading "I hosted Father Joseph!" In a little over one year, Alex raised more than $67,000 for the people of Bukuumi parish, and on June 24, 2002, he arrived in Uganda to personally deliver a different suitcase, this one with a heck that would buy a much-needed ambulance.

Since his extraordinary visit, Alex continues to raise awareness about and support for the urgent health care needs in Uganda. His efforts have helped purchase an ultrasound machine–one of only a handful in the country. Now a graduating high school senior, Alex plans to pursue a career in international relations, and is firmly committed to helping people around the world gain access to the everyday resources that many of us take for granted.