Between his studies, sports, extracurricular activities and work with a local youth group, 13-year-old Gregory Hardwick seldom has time to catch his breath.
That pace has quickened substantially this week after Hardwick, son of Tim and Sandy Hardwick of rural Colony, learned he has been invited to attend the 2017 Presidential Inauguration.
Hardwick, a Crest Middle School eighth-grader, was invited on behalf of the Junior National Young Leaders Conference, which he attended last summer.
Hardwick was invited to partake in an inauguration leadership summit Jan. 18-22, 2017.
As part of the summit, Hardwick will meet with Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai and her father, Ziauddin; women’s soccer legend and Olympic gold medalist Abby Wambach, Democratic political strategist and CNN analyst Donna Brazille and political commentator Tucker Carlson.
On Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, Hardwick and his fellow summit scholars will get early access to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History before trekking to the National Mall. There they’ll witness the next president take the oath of office.
SUCH AN event carries quite a price tag, however.
Hardwick must raise about $4,000 to fund his tuition, transportation and lodging. The funding deadline is mid-August.
But in the two weeks of his notification, Hardwick already has hit high gear in his fund-raising efforts.
He does odd jobs on a regular basis around town, from cleaning yards to washing windows.
“Anything I can find,” he said.
He also is selling Zak’s Cheese, an online fundraiser through which he sells cheese and meat trays and other gift boxes.
That project carries a bit more urgency than the others because his orders are due by Thursday. (To place an order, or for more information about other fundraising opportunities, call Sandra Hardwick at 785-204-1793.)
An account in Hardwick’s name has been set up at GSSB’s Colony branch.
In two weeks, he’s raised about $1,700 of his $4,000 goal.
