“Together we must change the odds so that young people don't have to struggle. We must see to it that no child is left behind,” said Marian Wright Edelman, national Children's Defense Fund (CDF) founding president and CEO, at the sixth annual Beat the Odds luncheon Friday at the Albert Sabin Education Center at Children's Hospital Medical Center.

        The luncheon honored six high school seniors who have “achieved academic excellence in the face of overwhelming adversity.”

        The honorees: Nazarene Adams, Taft High School; Erin Murray, Purcell Marian High School; Donnell Kelly, St. Xavier High School; Roseanna Tressler, Holmes High School; Susan Zaghlool, Aiken High School, and Timothy Meloy, Mount Healthy High School. Each received a $1,000 scholarship.

        Inspired by the honorees' stories, some guests considered what changes they would make to give youngsters a better life. A sampling:

        • Honoree Nazarene Adams, West End: “More support systems.”

        • Judith Van Ginkle, Wyoming: “To make sure all children have an optimal start with a caring family.”

        • Carole Rigaud, Columbia Tusculum: “Provide parents with skills needed for great parenting.”

        • Louise Spiegel, Clifton: “What function do kids have in an urban culture? We must answer that.”

        • Gwen Wilder, North Avondale: “We need extended families like we had. When I was young, if you went downtown and misbehaved, your mother knew it (by the time you got home).”

        • Miriam West, Paddock Hills: “We need to make cities more children friendly.”

        • Miriam Kinard, Springdale: “We need to value children and take responsibility for our children. Today, children are responsible for themselves.”

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