An eighth-grader is getting ready for the trip of a lifetime in Washington DC. He'll be Rep. Charlie Crist's guest to hear President Trump's immigration speech next week.
Right now, Oliver Hess is mapping out a project that many world leaders aren't even tackling.
“Picking them up from the airport, and giving them a home and checking in on them,” Hess said.
He's not talking about family or friends. Hess wants to help provide for Syrian refugees.
“Religion and race shouldn’t be the determining factor for having a better life,” Hess said.
Shorecrest Preparatory School challenges its eighth graders to pick a passion project and this is what Hess chose. He's working with Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services to find a refugee family in need. His efforts are getting recognized.
“If I can help just one family, I know how much that family would give back to the United States,” Hess said.
That's a piece of his letter to Congressman Charlie Crist. Now Hess will be his guest in Washington D.C.
“When someone shows a passion for that type of world problem at this age it really is a fantastic thing for us to be able to deal with him and guide him,” Hess's advisor, Kristine Grant, said.
Hess said he just wants to help people who need it most.
“Their struggles and what they have to go through and the chance of death is so high, it’s devastating,” he said.
