Jessica was only a sixth grader when she learned that most girls in Rwanda are orphans, and they don't have the money or materials to attend school. Over the next several years, she rallied her classmates to raise money for rural Rwandan girls through bake sales, tee shirt sales and donation drives.

After a recent front page article in the Seattle Times caught the attention of Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, he donated $25,000, bringing her total to $75,000 raised in three years.

The charity, Richard's Rwanda, now has five chapters in Seattle high schools and, after visiting the African country, Jessica has recruited a private girls' school there to help expand her fundraising work internationally.