Their grit, generosity and can-do spirit is making the region better

Grit and heart: At Lower Merion High School, Wynnewood native and standout athlete Myra Sack captained the soccer and basketball teams. Playing soccer at Dartmouth College, she was named rookie of the year, player of the year, elected team captain, and won the Dean’s Plate Award for outstanding contributions to the campus, community, and world. Currently she’s chief program officer for SquashBusters Inc., which nurtures city kids as students, athletes, and citizens. For all this and more she’ll be inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on April 30.

Great kid: In lieu of bringing presents to his 9th birthday party, West Deptford third grader Sam Malone asked his buddies to instead donate to the Food Bank of South Jersey. On March 30, 17 kids brought 211 pounds worth of canned goods, boxes of cereal, and other nonperishable food items to Sam’s soiree.

Song of thanks: In December, members of Southwest Senior Center in Southwest Philly were so moved by the performance of visiting band students from nearby Tilden Middle School that they began collecting funds to support the repair or purchase of instruments for the school’s young musicians. In February, Southwest’s director Paulette Cunningham surprised Tilden music teacher Ernie Baker with a check for $800 that center members — all on fixed incomes — collected among themselves for the cause.

Three cheers for the team: Middle-school students at Fairmount’s Bache-Martin Elementary School wanted to be on a cheerleading squad, so teacher Cameryn McLaughlin, who cheered in high school and college, formed a team. The girls competed for the first time last month — and placed second.