This is one LOCAL moving, shaking, happening and unstoppable kid moving the nation! He’s knocking down more boundaries than most adults we know. This is Braeden Mannering from Bear, Delaware and he is in 5th grade. Braeden started his very OWN non-profit, 3B: Brae’s Brown Bags in 2013 now a 501(c)3 public charity and has provided 3,000+ bags of healthy food to people in need. NorthDelaWHEREhappening was thrilled to meet and honor him as one of our inaugural Top 10 Movers & Shakers of 2014.
“It all started when I saw a homeless man. I couldn’t stop thinking about him” Braeden.
He’s met President Obama and the First lady not once but twice and the second time he was personally invited by Michelle Obama. He was also featured on the Rachel Ray Show in September 2014. During the filming, he visited Wilmington’s Emmanuel Dining Room sharing his story of healthy food, not just food, for those in need. He’s joined the TODAY Show on the plaza with Al Roker and his mom, Christy to share his charity, “3B: Brae’s Brown Bags,” and his award winning $30,000 in goods and services for his charity as part of Mazda’s “Drive for Good” initiative in December 2014 with a surprise visit from Minnie Driver.
His biggest personal challenge – “you really can’t stop. Network, network, network.”
Braeden is passionate about encouraging others his age to be kind, dream big and make a difference. He’s a motivational and empowering public speaker and his hope is to be able to recruit other kids to help fight against the injustice of food insecurity whether it be one bag at a time or with other new and creative ideas. He has lobbied legislators and written to policy makers across the world to help and improve food insecurity on a local, national and global level. He has personally raised over $9,000, some of which he had contributed to Action Against Hunger. He has volunteered with Stop Hunger Now in their packaging events. Braeden wants to make a difference, it’s important because he knows how lucky he is to not have to worry about where his next meal will come from. Braeden Congratulations and thank you for all you do for our LOCAL North Delaware Community and beyond.
The White House Reports
On January 12, 2015, we received an email direct from the Let’s Move! White House Email Account with Subject line “Kick-Start Your New Year with These Healthy Tips:” and who but none other than Braeden Mannering makes third on the list. Let’s Move! is America’s Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids, a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady, dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. Here’s the highlight within the email.
Our Favorite Let’s Move! Moments of 2014 (Excerpt from the White House Email)
From hosting the third annual Kids’ State Dinner to working to improve school nutrition, we had an exciting and fun 2014 at Let’s Move! helping kids be active and healthy. We are looking forward to another great year of Let’s Move! as we approach the fifth anniversary of the initiative. But before we get there, take a look back at some of our favorite moments from 2014. For the full recap of recent activities and to get involved, visit the Let’s Move! blog, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.
First Lady Michelle Obama hugs Braeden Mannering, the 2013 Kids’ State Dinner winner from Delaware, after he introduced her at the Kids’ State Dinner in the East Room of the White House, July 18, 2014 Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon
Q&A with BRAEDEN
NDH: The person who nominated you gave us 3 reasons why you should be nominated as a top Mover & Shaker. Now we would like to hear it from you. Tell us 3 reasons why you are a Mover & Shaker.
Braeden:
1) I think the thing that makes Brae’s Brown Bags different or worthy of being nominated is the healthy food. A lot of people realize there are homeless and low-income people in need, but they don’t necessarily take the time to try and give them something healthy to eat and I think that is very important.
2) It’s really important to me to get other kids involved. I think a lot of times kids have really good ideas and they say they’ll do it when they grow up. You can be a leader at any age and I really want to make sure kids know.
3) I work really hard. I’m in 5th grade, I’m busy with school and I go to the YMCA every week but I also spend 5 to 10 hours on 3B every week. I write grants with my Mom and I update my blog. I have received several grants and award which have helped me make sure that 3B grows.
NDH: What achievements are you most proud of?
Braeden: I’m really proud that I have given out 3,000 bags of healthy food to people in need. I’m also really proud that I got to visit the White House twice and the second time as the guest speaker invited by Michelle Obama. I also am really happy I got to be on the Rachael Ray Show in September. One of the coolest things is that I have been able to talk to nearly 2,000 young people in Philadelphia, Washington, Maryland and Delaware and encourage them to be kind, dream big and make a difference.
NDH: Can you share any stories about how your involvement has impacted an individual or the North Delaware community?
Braeden: I am very happy to say I have been able to go to the Emmanuel Dining Room in Wilmington at least one time per month and when I went on the Rachael Ray Show, the Emmanuel Dining Room was included in my interview. View the video here. I’ve been enjoying meeting people at the Ministry of Caring which is based out of Wilmington. I also have enjoyed talking with churches and schools and working with the University of Delaware to raise awareness about 3B and what we stand for – which is making healthy food more accessible to everyone.
NDH: Is there anything else that North Delaware should know about YOU?
Braeden: North Delaware should know that they will be seeing a lot of me. I really do want to help out, even if it isn’t with Brae’s Brown Bags, I want to be out there, I want to be a giver and I want to make Delaware even better than it already is.
NDH: Movers & Shakers are visionaries. What projects are you working on for future achievement?
Braeden: The biggest project I am working on right now is with the Food Bank of Delaware and Senator Bryan Townsend. I am going to co-host their Hunger Conference and make it the first every Hunger Conference in Delaware in which kids will be invited and encouraged to participate. I also really want to write a book that will help to share my story and hopefully inspire other people. I also attended a Kids Business Expo in Atlanta, Georgia in February and I was a guest speaker for the Youth Leadership Summit at the Expo.
NDH: Have you faced any serious challenges along the way that you would like to share?
Braeden: Yes, I think the biggest challenge is finding time for everything. You really can’t stop. I have to check my email every day! It’s hard to make a non-profit. My Mom has a spreadsheet, she showed me, I think she has 9 different pages! Delaware is small. It’s a great state don’t get me wrong, but it’s small and it’s hard to network. My Mom and I write letters to legislators, tv stations and youth based leadership groups every week. We’re trying very hard to get the 3B name out there and it’s not easy.
NDH: What local organizations, events or clubs are you currently involved?
Braeden: I have been working with the Ministry of Caring, Newark Empowerment Center, Hope Dining Room, YMCA Bear-Glasgow, Christina School District, various legislators, I’m a PreventObesity.Net Leader and I have done a lot of work with the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. Mostly what attracts me to the people and places I work with are that they all want to help people. They are all volunteering and giving of themselves. And they all want to see me excel which is very nice.
NDH: Who or what inspired you to get involved? And, how did they inspire you?
Braeden: First Lady Michelle Obama inspired me at first. Healthy eating and healthy lifestyles are important to her and she shared that with me. When I got to eat lunch with her at the Kids’ State Dinner she asked me how I could pay the experience forward. That’s really want got me thinking about how I can and how I want to help out. Tanya Steel is also someone who inspired me and keeps in touch with me on different ways I can get involved. She’s a very awesome lady. She cares a lot about healthy living as well and she cares about getting kids more involved.
Braeden & Christy(Mom/Hero) Mannering
NDH: Do you have a mentor?
Braeden: Outside of my Mom – who I think is more of a hero then a mentor – I would say my mentor is my buddy Senator Bryan Townsend. I really do think he’s probably the coolest guy ever. And his wife is nice, too. Senator Townsend makes me feel important. He asks my opinions. He invites me places and even shared his birthday cheesecake with me one time. He came to my 3B Summer Celebration and I got to give him an award for a change because I really think he deserves it. He cares about people. He has a really big heart and he has some really interesting jokes, haha. I laugh, I laugh because he thinks HE is funny.
NDH: How do you feel about being named as one of the Top 10 Movers & Shakers in North Delaware?
Braeden: When my Mom told me I was in the top 10 I was very happy. I only know one person on the list, Mr. Todd, and he’s really cool and when I saw that I was on the list with him I thought that was pretty awesome. It makes me feel good to know that people like what I am doing.
Braeden Mannering and Jen Groover, Movers & Shakers Delaware Judge – speaker, author, designer, TV show host, media contributor, spokeswoman, inventor and advocate closed the awards ceremony with empowering thoughts encouraging the group to continue to pay it forward and “make impact not only for ourselves but also for others who aren’t capable of doing it for themselves”.
What’s Happening Next with Brae
Coming Together Hunger Conference
The Food Bank of Delaware, Brae’s Brown Bags and the Food Research and Action Center are proud to present Delaware’s third annual hunger conference. This year’s regional conference is entitled Coming Together: A Community Response to Hunger to reflect that it takes all of us – children, adults, nonprofits, government entities, businesses, faith-based organizations, educational institutions and others – working together to end hunger in our communities.
The conference is scheduled for Monday, May 4, 2015 from 7:30 a.m. – 3:00 pm at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware.
Coming Together will feature both an adult track and kids’ track, with opportunit
ies for both groups to comeChance of winning cool prizes and a spot at our hunger conference are very high if you enter this fun multimedia design challenge by April 3. Challenge created by Brae and open to 1st through 12th graders in Delaware. Get the details on facebook at www.facebook.com/braesbrownbags or via the Food Bank of Delaware.
Braeden in the National News
- How One 10-Year-Old Viewer Is Changing His Community – The Rachael Ray Show – September 15, 2014
- 11-year-old wins $30,000 for his ‘3B’ charity – TODAY Show – December 4, 2014
- In The Giving Spirit With Mazda and NBC (Surprise visit from Minnie Driver)– Mazda City of Orange Park – December 15, 2014
Follow Braeden
- His blog braedenquinn.com
- Twitter www.twitter.com/BraedenQuinn
- Facebook www.facebook.com/braesbrownbags
Check out the Top 10 Movers & Shakers DE 2014 Video, featuring Braeden Mannering.
Movers & Shakers DE 2014 Top 10 Celebration from CineMavericks Media LLC on Vimeo.
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This is an amazing article about my grandson, Braeden. Of course I think he is awesome, but it touches my heart when I hear other people speak fondly of him. Oh how I loved reading every single word in this fantastic article. Thank you for writing and sharing one of the best articles I have read in my entire life!
Margie – What’s Happening? We think Brae is pretty amazing too! Thanks for the wonderful happening remarks about the article too – we appreciate the feedback and glad we nailed it!! 🙂 All our best.