Mundelein, Illinois --  Ryan Fosnow, 9, gathered 1,429 art supply items and crayons for needy classmates. He got extra support from newspaper readers, who saw an article about his Make A Difference Day project, including a man with terminal cancer and disabled Joyce Wagstaff who went on a self-described "crazed!" shopping trip to donate.

I wanted to have Ryan prominent in the photo because he's a hero. I also wanted to have Joyce Wagstaff because she went out of her way to contribute to the project that Ryan began, and she was inspired by Ryan. Joyce Wagstaff was a real fountain of enthusiasm for Ryan and his work. She was impressive given that she has to carry an oxygen tank around with her wherever she goes.

When we arrived at the school they were having an assembly for all the students for school's drama production. After the rehearsal, the principal announced that Ryan had won the Make A Difference Day award. They knew about Ryan's project, so as he announced it, and especially as he mentioned one of the judges was a member of N'Sync, all the kids just started cheering and clapping and I thought, "This is a great shot." A lot of what I do is making the most of found situations, and the fact that the kids let out all that emotion told me exactly what this picture should be.

Photo Essay by Charles "Stretch" Ledford
StretchPhotography.com