At Nine PBS, we know there’s no better way to celebrate our communities (and our country) than by shining a spotlight on the incredible kids who make them special. Back in January, we invited Missouri families to submit videos featuring their amazing kids—and you delivered. From those submissions, Owen was selected to represent Missouri in the PBS KIDS Across America initiative, celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. Talk about a big moment!
Owen’s video, created in partnership with GBH in Boston and Nine PBS’s Communications team, is now part of America’s Awesome Kids, a collection of 25 short, inspiring mini-documentaries featuring kids from coast to coast. Each story highlights what makes their hometown unique, their passions and talents, and the ways they’re making a difference in their communities.
Performer and Philanthropist
At just eight years old, Owen is already a budding actor who loves the spotlight. When he’s not on stage, he’s busy baking (yum!) and selling cookies to raise money for a charity that helps kids around the world. Performer and philanthropist? We’d say that’s pretty awesome.
You can watch Owen’s story—and meet all the other incredible kids—right now on pbskids.org and and later on the America’s Awesome Kids YouTube channel. New shorts premiere on YouTube every Wednesday and Friday through August 14, so there’s always something new to look forward to. You can also catch them on the PBS KIDS channel (within Alma’s Way) through June 26.
Produced by GBH Kids, the series celebrates what it means to grow up in America today. As Dorothea Gillim, executive producer and creative director of GBH Kids, puts it, “Working with other PBS stations on this series has been a great opportunity to leverage the strength of public media to capture a uniquely local story for a national audience and build empathy and a sense of connection across the country.”
So go ahead—meet Owen and the rest of America’s awesome kids. Trust us, they’ll leave you smiling.
Contributed by Lynanne Feilen, communications manager