Welcome to American Idle No More! This is the night you've been waiting for. Tonight we're going to hear about our finalists, all of whom refused to "stand idly by" when their help was needed. Our judges, Randy Jewson, Paula Av-shul, and Shimon Cohen will weigh in, but it's your vote that counts. Visit babaganewz.com to vote for the next American Idle No More. And now, the contestants:

DENNIS FRIES, CHANDLER, ARIZONA
Lions and tigers and bears, and more bears. Oh my! Thirteen-year-old Dennis Fries shares his home with thousands of animals--stuffed animals. His home in Chandler, Arizona, is headquarters for Operation Noah, a program he launched to ease the pain of hospitalized children by giving them stuffed animals.

Dennis developed the idea for Operation Noah this past July when he was hospitalized for stomach pains, and a nurse gave him a teddy bear. "It comforted me when I was nervous," he recalls. Learning that the hospital had only one remaining stuffed animal, Dennis took it upon himself to collect plush toys for other hospitalized kids.

Dennis asked his school, hockey training center, and area businesses to serve as drop locations, and thousands of donations came pouring in. He teamed up with a local production of The Velveteen Rabbit to collect even more stuffed animals, "Just like Noah herded the animals, I herded the stuffed animals," says Dennis. So far, he's collected about 7,000 plush toys, which he hand delivers to patients at six Arizona hospitals. He's hoping to work with kids around the country to expand the program nationwide.

"From first-hand experience, I have learned that a hospital can be a scary place for kids," says Dennis. "It gives me a great deal of satisfaction to know that I've eased other children's fears."

CARRIE GARTNER AND SHAYNA MELIKER, ELLICOTT CITY, MARYLAND

When their religious school teacher missed class one day because she was sick, Carrie Gartner and Shayna Meliker were concerned. Their teacher at Beth Shalom Congregation in Columbia, Maryland, had a flare-up from Crohn's disease, a chronic, painful inflammation of the small intestine. Rather than celebrating a break from schoolwork, the seventh-grade girls searched to find a way to help their teacher.

They contacted the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America and offered to coordinate a walk-a-thon to raise funds. For more than a year, Carrie and Shayna enlisted sponsors, planned the walk logistics, and promoted the event. "It was hard work that took a lot of perseverance," says Shayna. "You get 1,000 no's before you get a yes, but the outcome was worth it."

The October 2003 Miles for Miracles walk-a-thon raised $57,000. This past fall, Shayna and Carrie held their second annual walk-a-thon raising an additional $53,000. "The ultimate goal is to find a cure for Crohn's disease," says Carrie.

"When you see something bad happening, you can either sit back and do nothing, or you can take action," says Shayna. "A large part of Jewish culture is looking out for others."

JENNA COHEN, SKOKIE, ILLINOIS

Jenna Cohen was reading BABAGANEWZ--just like you are now--when she took it upon herself to help free enslaved Sudanese. After reading the harrowing story of one man's enslavement in Sudan in the Nisan 5764 issue, "I was stunned and upset," recalls Jenna. "I knew I had to do something to help."

Suddenly a light bulb went on in her head: Her upcoming bat mitzvah parashah, Behar, contains the Biblical commandment to release all slaves during the Jubilee Year, every 50 years. "Wouldn't it be fitting to free modern slaves for my bat mitzvah project?" she mused.

Learning that it costs only $35 to buy the freedom of a Sudanese slave, Jenna set to work raising funds. Using embroidery floss, she crafted friendship bracelets and began selling them to friends. She set up a booth at her synagogue's Hanukkah bazaar, selling out her inventory and taking orders for more. With each small knot she made in a bracelet she was actually helping release slaves from the ties of bondage, she thought with pride.

In six months, Jenna raised $540--enough to free 15 slaves. "I was pleased that I was able to do so much, but at the same time it's disappointing to know that only 15 people were freed while millions are still enslaved."

Let’s see what our judges have to save about the three contestants:
Randy Jewson: Yo, that was good, man. You were all really solid.

Paula: That was phe-nomenal! All three of these kids are superstars.

Shimon Cohen: I do not say this lightly, but all three of you are about the best I’ve ever seen. It will be sheer madness if BABAGANEWZ readers  don’t vote one of you as the winner of American Idle No More.