A dramatic ballad with lyrics sung by a young boy honoring the military for protecting America's freedom. Powerful, riveting, emotional . . . you won't stop listening until hearing the striking finale.

1 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Traditional Country, EASY LISTENING: Crooners/Vocals



Details:
Matthew Cook, a senior at Chadwick School, is a member of Boy Scout Troop 783 of Rolling Hills Estates. He earned his Eagle in 2004 at the age of 14 and his three palms the following year. Having realized the rewards of focused effort, hard work and determination early in life, Matthew speaks to youth of all ages about the importance of education in achieving success.

At the age of nine, Matthew was the featured soloist with the Westwood Symphony Orchestra during a tour of Los Angeles elementary schools. At about the same time, he started his own business. In 2000, he was named among the Top 100 Young Entrepreneurs of America for the millennium, which earned him an invitation to the White House and an appointment as consultant to the Lemelson Center for Creativity at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

As President of the Young Entrepreneurs Society, Matthew gave inspirational presentations to students at California State University, La Habra Childrenâs Museum, the Los Angeles County Fair, Pasadena City Library, and other local venues. He also addressed (then) Governor Gray Davis and California congressional leaders in Los Angeles. As co-author of a published childrenâs book Millennium Mischief, he spoke to hundreds of children and parents at book signings throughout southern California and was invited to inspire audiences of thousands at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival and the UCLA Childrenâs Festival. He also made presentations at Book Expo in Chicago and to students at elementary and middle schools throughout Washington, D.C.

Matthew has been performing magic professionally since he was ten years old. He became one of the youngest magicianâs ever admitted to the Hollywood Magic Castle Junior Group at age 13. He has made three television appearances and has performed for many of Hollywoodâs most notable producers, directors and actors, including Maria Shriver, the First Lady of California. Over the past five years, Matthew has performed at the Rio Hondo Shelter, Rainbow Shelter, Miller Childrenâs Hospital and Torrance Hospital where he has encouraged young people to pursue their talents and dreams despite extreme physical, emotional and economic hardships in their lives.

Extensive travel has afforded Matthew a chance to inspire young people around the globe. He has traveled to nearly forty countries on six continents and been warmly received by youth at schools, public agencies, and private homes. In 2002, he founded the Matthew Cook and Friends Dolphin Research Fund to support research at Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute in San Diego. He has engaged Olympic Gold Medalist, John Naber, to be the keynote speaker at his next major fundraiser, which will take place at Redondo Beach in October of 2006. In an effort to establish a permanent revenue stream for his fund, Matthew is working as a consultant to Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute in the expansion of their e-commerce venture and the design of an internship program with the San Diego State University Business School Department of Marketing. As part of his Boy Scout Eagle project, Matthew produced and directed a film to inspire middle school students to become more concerned about ocean conservation. Currently he is working with several agencies toward getting the film distributed to middle schools throughout southern California.

Matthew was honored to have been one of 150 scouts in the country invited to participate in the National Junior Leadership Instructor Training program at Philmont in 2005. Subsequently he was appointed to the faculty of Scouting University. He was invited to speak on May 29, 2006, at the Green Hills Memorial Day observance, where attendance was estimated at 5,000. For that event he has founded the âMile-Long Yellow Ribbon Projectâ, a community effort to create a mile-long (1776 yards) yellow ribbon signed by southern California youth that will be sent to Washington, D.C. and on to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Matthewâs academic program at Chadwick is challenging. Diligence in honors and advanced placements classes allows him to remain among the top in his class. Outside of school and various charities, he also works as an English tutor, Spanish tutor and magic teacher. There is little free time in Matthewâs schedule. His commitment to philanthropy is strong, however, and he feels a powerful responsibility to encourage other youth to remain dedicated to the goal of bettering our world. That is why he enjoys speaking to service groups whenever possible. Matthew believes success is attainable at any age for those willing to work hard enough. The message he brings to youth is, âYou donât have to wait to become an adult to make a difference in this world.â For those who embrace the maxim, âShow, donât tellâ, Matthew is a convincing role model.

You can visit Matthew Cook's Blog: www.milelongyellowribbon.blogspot.com.