Bishop Grimes High School Senior Martin Welych-Flanagan was recently awarded the Gloria Baron Prize for Young Heroes, an honor that recognizes young people from diverse backgrounds all across North America who individually complete inspiring service projects.
Welych-Flanagan received the award for his work as the founder of Save the Seals, a campaign that focuses on raising awareness about the plight of harp seal pups and the Arctic ecosystem as a whole. He is one of 25 recipients of the award.
Welych-Flanagan started this project nearly a decade ago and has raised approximately $17,000 for the Humane Society of the United States’ Protect Seals program by creating and selling seal-themed items, including over 4,000 bracelets and over 3,000 polymer clay seals that Martin uses to make jewelry, key chains and ornaments.
“I feel very honored. When I began my campaign, I never thought I’d get an award like this. I just started it because it was something that had to be done,” Welych-Flanagan said.
The Bishop Grimes community commends the work that Martin has accomplished and hopes his efforts will continue long after his time at the school. Welych-Flanagan said, “I plan to go to college to study invertebrate paleontology. However, I will always continue to work for animals and make the world a better place.”
For more information on Martin and the 2016 recipients of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, visit barronprize.org/meet-the-winners/2016-winners/.
