Kid's Avenue for Jan 12., 2009

• By RELMA HARGUS AND CHANTE WARREN
• Published: Jan 12, 2009 - Page: 6D - UPDATED: 12:05 am

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When Hurricane Gustav necessitated his family’s evacuation Labor Day weekend, Will Hetzel used it as an opportunity to add yet another project to a planned contest entry spotlighting the U.S. rice industry.

The projects were to be completed during September to coincide with National Rice Month, and the Jennings teenager had already started generating rice-promoting ideas.

At a Red Cross shelter in Sulphur, Hetzel distributed recipes and Louisiana-grown rice — purchased in a Texas store near where the family had taken their horses for safety.

As rice farmers themselves, the family pays attention to where rice is grown and milled.

The Hathaway High School senior’s monthlong rice-promoting efforts were recognized in December in Little Rock, Ark., when he received the top scholarship offered at the annual USA Rice Outlook Conference.

Hetzel plans to use the $3,500 USA Rice Federation scholarship, one of nine scholarship prizes totaling $10,000 awarded each year to a high school junior and senior whose family is directly involved in the rice industry, to attend McNeese State University in the fall.

His goal is to major in nursing and to add communications courses that will help him be an effective educator about juvenile-onset diabetes, a disease he has.

Hurricane Ike’s visit later in the month found him at a Red Cross shelter again, distributing rice donated by area businesses and helping serve hot meals — that contained rice, of course.

He also recognized the first baby born at the Jennings American Legion Hospital in September with a rice goody basket and created other rice baskets for local businesses to use in promotional drawings.

His scholarship-winning “From the Fields of Hathaway” project also included documentation of his weekly rice-related columns published in the Jennings Daily News, Lake Charles American Press and the Welsh Citizen.

To promote the nutritional benefits of whole-grain rice, Hetzel chose brown for the T-shirt he designed for the annual Jennings 5-K Rice Run/Walk.

In addition to being a top promoter of rice, Hetzel is also a champion horseman.

After finishing earlier as Louisiana champion, in August he placed fifth overall among 162 competitors in the cutting division during the 60th annual National High School Rodeo Finals in Farmington, N.M.