Birds of Hope founder Emily Osley, 15, spoke at the Bok Academy morning meeting Monday (Jan. 28) and told 500-plus students how she was inspired to use her sewing talents to raise money for clean drinking water in Zambia, Africa.

In the two years since the non-profit Birds of Hope (www.birdsofhope.org) was created in Lakeland, Emily has made and sold about 7,000 birds for $5 each. More than $40,000 has been donated to organizations like Active Water, which can take the next step in supplying bio-sand filters and other tools necessary for clean drinking water.