Meet Mr. “SHARE”, Atticus Gore: A Teenager Who Makes a Difference
Written by Betsy Rice
Pictured top left, Atticus Gore smiles with SHARE donations at a food drive with Immanuel Presbyterian Church members and staff.
On June 2, 2018 Atticus Gore, an eighth grader at Longfellow Middle School and member of Immanuel Presbyterian Church, sponsored the SHARE food drive at the McLean Giant. For those of us who know him, his passion for SHARE and its work as the Food Bank for McLean, Falls Church, and Great Falls is not surprising. To say that it is rare that someone of his age sponsors and organizes a food drive event is an understatement but not out of character for him. Atticus is a “giver” in so much that he does.
A multi-talented young man, Atticus, along with his academic courses, is in the advanced theatre program at Longfellow MS and in SoS (Sources of Strength), a teen suicide prevention program. Atticus also swims with the York Swim Club year round. At 5:00 AM you will find him four days a week in the pool doing a 90 minute swim prior to going off to a full day of school. He also practices early Saturday mornings and competes once a month. In March he swam at the Junior Olympics meet at the University of Maryland. But so like Atticus he takes his passion for swimming and each summer fuels that passion in others by helping coach the Future Marlins developmental team at his summer swim club McLean Marlins.
Atticus started working with the SHARE food drives at the Giant when he was in the sixth grade. Though most all of the volunteers that work on this program are in Middle and High school and using this activity to help meet their service requirements, he quickly used his personality, sense of organization, and ability to work easily with adults and teens to rise to a leadership position. Atticus frankly runs the truck! He supervises teens and adult volunteers as they sort and box up food that has been donated and he is in charge of loading the SHARE truck or other vehicles used to transport these items so that the items are placed by weight and balance on these vehicles. He is frankly a marvel at this! Most volunteers work two hour shifts but Atticus stays for the entire day until the last truck heads off to the pantry for unloading. Atticus’ and his passion for SHARE and the families, elderly, shut ins, and handicapped members of the community that SHARE services has become so personal that he has recruited friends, church members at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in McLean where he became a member in May, and even had his family forgo birthday presents for him and donating to SHARE instead.
When we look to put a face on a special teenager in our area, we do not have to go any further than to look to Atticus.