Congratulations to reader Cristina, who answered the call for the Odwalla Do Good, Win Stuff contest with a small but important act of good – helping her parents:

I like to say I make a difference in my parent’s lives.
Now that my brothers and sisters are growing up, my parents are going through the empty nest syndrom.
They aren’t used to doing things that are fun for themselves and so I took it upon myself to show them there is a world beyond us.
I get them out of the house and we go hiking together near Mt. Wilson on weekends. We walk the close to 4 mile hike and end up at a nice little waterfall. Both mom and dad are now into it and even started buying their own “hiking” gear. It is cute to see them catching on. =)

Cristina, pictured with her parents

I’m a firm believer in the idea that change really does work best on a person to person level. Each time you turn someone on to being in the outdoors, it’s a small thing – but if that person grows to love the outdoors and tells others about it, then the idea grows beyond them. Every time you bring a non-hiker into the woods with you, you’re introducing them to an entirely new part of life – and you give them a reason to care about preserving those natural areas for future generations.

Congratulations, Cristina!

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