Local Girl A Red Sox Captain

Jade Leong doesn't play baseball, but she has been named a captain of Kid Nation for the Boston Red Sox  after wining an essay writing contest.

The Cohen Hillel Academy sixth-grader, Leong, was one of 12 winners out of more than 900 applicants to be selected as a Boston Red Sox Kid Nation Captain.

In her winning essay, she wrote about building community and helping families.

"I wrote about the community service I do for From Cradles to Crayons and how we can all be a part of it," Leong said. "I was chosen out of 960 kids after people had to vote for me online. It was narrowed  down to 12 kids and those 12 captains had a meeting before the game (in June)."

As part of being named captain, Leong will  help develop and implement a community service project that will be supported by Hood, the Red Sox and all of Kid Nation.

She hopes she can somehow integrate Cradles to Crayons into that project. Over the last few years, Leong has worked to get toys, clothing and educational supplies to local needy children.

While Leong is unsure of her career path right now, she likes art and building but said community service will always be a part of her life.

Another perk of being a Red Sox Kid Nation Captain? Leong gets free Hood ice cream for a year.

"It's pretty cool," Leong said. "I really like cradles to crayons because the theme is about helping kids."