25 so much,” she says. “I had an obligation to give something back.” The 130 students who participate each year gain a lot more than expertise in rowing and strength from the grueling exercises. Mentors give them academic support. They take yoga and medita- tion classes. They learn about nutrition and the environment. In the spring, they compete on the Schuylkill River against athletes from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. “We have a lot of opportunities for kids to set goals and test themselves,” Ms. Reddick says. “After any race or test, we sit down and talk about why we got the results we did. We set new goals.” Ms. Reddick says the organization is proud that 100 percent of its student athletes graduate from high school on time. “Everyone is accepted to college or to another program for after-high-school education,” she says. The rowing program gives students a place of belonging, too. After one student’s father was killed, the program staff told the girl that she could take a break from rowing. “But she said she needed to be here,” Ms. Reddick says. “She came every day, and it helped her feel better.” Philadelphia City Rowing does not charge students to row. Ms. Reddick volunteers to do “whatever needs to be done” to help the organization: raise money, repair boats, unclog toilets, coach, tutor. “Sometimes I am just around to be a friend and a mentor,” she says. She says the program is constantly trying to “make sure that we are helping the students who need us most. ... Our goal for them is to be healthy and happy and reach their full potential.” —By Healthy Voice staff St. Frances Cabrini Catholic School Illustration by Solomon Abel, St. Martin de Porres Healthy Saint