Kenzie Hall: Brat Pack 11 Program Founder
Hey everyone! My name is Kenzie Hall and I am 16 years old. When I was 11, I started a program called Brat Pack 11. Brat Pack 11 grants wishes to military kids who have had a parent injured or lost to war. In the beginning it was difficult to have adults take me serious with this idea… But then I was introduced to the Boot Campaign! They loved my passion and understood what I was trying to accomplish! Brat Pack 11 became the first program for kids administered by the Boot Campaign!
Brat Pack 11 is an essential need in today’s society to remind these Military Brats that they are not alone, that we understand their sacrifices, they have a voice and it deserves to be heard! When coming up with this idea and trying to help it grow, I grew as a person too. I would start making cold calls trying to get the word out. It was a difficult process and people would constantly doubt me. It had me thinking, “Why is it so hard for a 45 year old to believe that I have something important to say?” My teacher was talking about his teenage years and how he came up with all these new recipes at a restaurant where he worked, but never shared them because “Hey, who would listen to a 16 year old?” I laughed because your age does not define your capability of achieving a goal that a 25 or 35 year old can. He may have only been talking about a recipe he came up with, but he could’ve missed a golden opportunity. I cannot stress enough that it depends on you and you only! It depends on your motivation and your ability to be able to stand up for what you believe. Age means nothing. You’re never too young to chase your dreams or ideas and make them happen. Don’t fall for that. You have a voice, so let it be heard. All that doubt that I have received, pushes me to work harder and harder to prove them wrong! So I think it’s also important that this program shows everyone that you can do it! If you go out there and have a passion and have tenacity put behind it, then it will be your drive and your ability that allow you to accomplish it.