What do pirates, ice skates, and IC Roadies have in common? High school senior Laura Kessler from Long Island, NY.

Like many of us at Invisible Children, Laura felt her world change after seeing IC’s first film, the Rough Cut. A firm believer in community service, Laura saw the film at 12-years-old and has since put her energy into helping push forward our mission to find a permanent end to LRA violence and bring sustainable peace to central and East Africa.

This spring, Laura and fellow members of the L’Chaim BBG chapter of Jewish Community Organization BBYO dedicated their 2nd Annual Ice Skating Fundraiser to IC. Teens from all over Long Island were invited to this outrageously-themed pirate ice skating party to spread the word and celebrate the spirit of helping others. Every penny counts when you’re working to end a war, and the generosity of these enthusiastic teens was clear.

Screening at BBYO

Just weeks later, Laura and her chapter of BBYO hosted a screening with the Tri-State Roadie team (who have already made an appearance on the blog – so popular.) Ugandan Roadie Boni helped Laura and others to get a better understanding of life in Uganda and the work that IC does. We met Boni in 2003 while filming the Rough Cut (the film that changed Laura’s world) and he went on to become one of the original Legacy Scholarship Program recipients and has since graduated from secondary school and currently attends Multitech Business School in Kampala where he is pursuing a degree in Human Resource Management.

Boni, Laura, and friend

After the screening, Laura exuded enthusiasm for the cause she holds so close to her heart: “It is easy to see what a difference the Invisible Children network has made; from sending kids to school to building radio towers to increasing communication…keep on spreading the positive energy!”

-Amanda