APA's Gianna Peak inspires others to give back
Jan. 2—ANDERSON — At an age when many children are learning to recite the alphabet, Gianna Peak was already interested in figuring out how to help others.
A food drive at Southview Preschool Center provided Gianna's mother, Abbie, with an initial glimpse of her daughter's compassion.
"Something there sparked the need to help," Abbie recalled. "That was when everything started kind of clicking and she started realizing that there are people that are struggling."
Half a decade later, Gianna's heart for giving back has morphed into a year-round stream of projects that assist a variety of community organizations.
Gianna was a finalist for the 2023 Community Person of the Year, as selected by The Herald Bulletin Editorial Board.
Her enthusiasm, according to teachers and administrators at Anderson Preparatory Academy, where she is a fourth-grader, draws those around her into a mindset of selflessness.
"She is what the future is supposed to be," said Commandant Jill Barker, the superintendent at APA. "Her heart for everyone, it's just who she is. To be that charismatic at that age, and that charisma is being used to make the whole world better — it's a unique gift."
Each month this year, Gianna has organized at least one project designed to raise funds or provide donations for nonprofit organizations in the community. She donated bottled water to the Gathering of Queens to help veterans and elderly clients. She gathered and provided 200 pre-filled Easter eggs for a local Easter egg hunt. She also helped hand out more than 7,000 books during a giveaway.
Those efforts gained broad recognition in October, when she was featured in a segment on NBC Nightly News Kids Edition. Gianna welcomed the attention, but only because, she said, "It means that other people get to see how they can change the world."
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