At age 7, he refinished his first wood floor. He began crafting wood flower boxes, bookends, and bookcases, as gifts for teachers and relatives.

Displeased and puzzled that popular TV woodworking programs always featured adult carpenters, he wrote to television producers around the country suggesting they create a children's woodworking show. He received many polite reply letters, but none of the producers took him seriously.

At age 11, after honing his craft further, Richard started building custom-made furniture for his family and "clients".

At age 13, he resumed his campaign to convince TV producers that a kids' woodworking TV show was a great idea. Among the many "No thanks," Richard received one positive response from the "Warehouse Warriors" series on the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Network. Since Richard was legally underage to use power tools, his mother was required to sign many legal waivers and forms permitting him to participate.

At age 14, Richard, his mom, and a team of adult carpenters, flew to Tennessee to film the Warehouse Warriors episode. Shortly afterward, he was interviewed by The Great Neck Record newspaper and was invited to appear on the Long Island Public Access TV programs Something to Talk About and Senior Moments. That summer he designed and crafted a tennis racket clock as a gift for his tennis coach. Members of the tennis club placed orders for their own clocks. Suddenly, Richard was in the custom wood clock business.

He filed for patents for his tennis clock and an equally innovative golf clock. As more people heard about his skill, they requested clocks of their favorite sport, and he expanded his product line. He legally created the Richard Foster Construction Company.

At age 14, he became the youngest-ever instructor for the Great Neck School District's Adult Education program. The two classes he developed and taught were "Basic Home Repair" for adults and "You Can Build It" for children, their parents, and grandparents.

Richard took a TV studio production workshop and volunteered at the Great Neck Public Access TV studio as a camera operator, floor manager, technical director, audio engineer and chyron operator. He quickly rose to the rank of director for several long-running local TV series.

At 15, he became the youngest Business Sponsor at the 2005 Nasdaq-100 Tennis Open in Key Biscayne, Florida. This required that he go into high production mode to prepare a large inventory to sell at the tournament. A week prior to his trip, Newsday covered the story.

At age 16, he comfortably balances school and buisness commitments. His biggest challenge is that he's too young to drive.

Clinton was born with Diastrophic Dysplasia, a rare form of dwarfism. "That means when my bones grow, they twist." In the true sense of brotherhood, Clinton redirects the spotlight. "If it hadn't been for Dr. Kopits, who devotes his entire life to helping people with dwarfism and skeletal dysplasia, I probably would have died before my eleventh birthday."

Inspiration for the book stemmed from a family trip focused on a job assignment of their dad, an environmental scientist, who was gathering data about natural resources in the parks that could be damaged by air pollution. He prearranged jobs for his daughters, such as entensive research and photocopying, in exchange for taking them on the trip. While searching through park travel guides to find what might be of interest to kids, Laura and Jenna discovered that all the books were aimed at adults and young children. They could find nothing specifically for teenagers, so they decided to write their own.

Their parents provide initial support and reminded them to keep up with their journal entries, sketches, and photographs while on the trip. The girls interviewed park rangers and scientists, such as the supervisor of Lava Beds National Monument who arranged their special tour of a sacred cave used by ancient Native Americans. A different memorable event occurred when Laura was stung by a scorpion.

After the trip, it took another year to complete and edit the book. Ten park scientists reviewed the draft for technical accuracy, which the girls then addressed. Laura and Jenna found it difficult staying focused on one project for two years but were supported and encouraged by each other, their parents, grandmothers, and the National Park Service scientists and staff. Laura and Jenna now view the sacrifices as definitely worthwhile.

He began by contacting his church and speaking with representative Mark Carbaugh, of the Aid Association for Lutherans. Brainstorming ideas helped Brian decide to provide Easter baskets for needy children. He explains, "None of these children have ever gotten an Easter basket in their life." He discussed the idea with the pastor of the local inner-city Love Church who liked the idea and said to plan on fifty baskets.

Brian estimated that each basket and its contents would cost $10. In December, he applied for a grant that was approved, but a few weeks later the grant program was discontinued. Then, the pastor informed Brian that he had underestimated the number of baskets, and seventy would be needed.

Brian was determined to complete the project. He asked for donations by writing letters and approaching leaders of his congregation. He spoke with store managers who told him that their store policy didn't allow them to make such a contribution. Other managers donated supplies, gave discounts on clearance merchandise, or provided store credit allowing Brian to purchase items he needed.

Finding enough qualilty items to make a basket of which he'd be proud, required creativity and careful money management. Age appropriateness and the different interests of boys and girls needed to be considered. By early spring, Brian's basement was filled with Easter baskets and their trimmings. Brian got help from his Boy Scout troop to set up an assembly line to fill the baskets, making sure that each one contained an equal number and quality of items. At final inspection, some baskets were missing things. Last minute shopping corrected the problem.

"Delivery day was a wonderful experience," Brian says. "The joy on the children's faces is a memory that will last for a lifetime. It made me realize how fortunate I am, not only in my strong faith in God, but also in the opportunities given to me. I can still remember their squeals of delight." The parents were so appreciative that they may have been happier than the children. Many of them personally thanked Brian and encourage their children to do the same.

Before delivery date, the saying "It is better to give than to receive," had little meaning to Brian. He always wanted to receive holiday gifts, but the pleasure obtained from receiving gifts was fleeting compared to the lasting joy experienced from giving his time and talents to this project. Brian's positive experiences inspired the young people at his church to continue the project the following Easter.