Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a teen who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a friend, and a son or a daughter. Above all, the Teen of the Month is dedicated to making a positive mark on the planet. Rich or poor, famous or not, the Teen of the Month shines as an example of what today's teens have to offer.

June's Teen of the Month is 13-year-old Ashley Michelle Oppenberg, a vivacious middleschooler and community activist.

Like most girls her age, Ashley Oppenberg loves children. As a result, she and a couple of friends started a babysitting and party planning service for children ages 2 to 10, but this project runs deeper than the average business venture. "We charge a minimal fee and donate half of what we make to charities," Oppenberg says.

Donation seems to be a recurring theme in this young girl's life, who already has accumulated a list of volunteer activities that pales the actions of most people twice her age. "I come from a very long line of do-gooders, starting with my great grandmother who was always the first one to be there for someone else," Oppenberg says. "When she believed in a cause or found that someone needed help, she stepped to the plate. My grandparents have always worked for charities, and my parents are very active in the community where we live. My goal is to carry on my family's commitment."

Oppenberg fulfills her "family's commitment" by volunteering for a variety of organizations: Ride On! Therapy, Friends for Pets Foundation, SOVA Food Pantry and YMCA. Then there's her youth group, Girl Scouts, student council, tutoring younger children, youth choir and the occasional foray into musical theatre productions.

Is it all for the sake of proudly bearing her family's legacy of involvement? Hardly. Oppenberg says that being involved has gifted her with close friendships – friendships that give her a feeling of belonging. "Being active in these groups enables me to be stronger and more confident," she adds.

While these activities may help Oppenberg's self-confidence, the credit falls elsewhere first. "[My parents] have always told [my sister and me] to feel good about ourselves – about who we are – and to always stand up and be counted, that one's actions are so very important."

That makes for a tough arsenal when Oppenberg is confronted with the typical social struggles that start in middle school. "I have come to the conclusion that there are two groups of kids: the uncaring and the caring," she says. "The uncaring are those that are 'me first' and want more than anything to be considered cool at the expense of being nice to others. The caring are those that don't pretend to be someone they aren't; they are sincere and nice people. I have come to believe that the world is divided into the same two groups."

It's not hard to figure out where Oppenberg falls, and she's not afraid of showing it. "Although the caring group is sometimes teased and left out of social events that the uncaring group puts on, I am proud to be a part of the caring group," she says. "I like who I am, and I feel that I am accepted and at home in the group that cares about the feelings of others."

Maybe that's why other issues impacting today's teens do not frighten Oppenberg. "I don't worry about sex and alcohol," she says. "I have been raised with very strong morals and don't feel that anyone can compromise them."

As for school violence, this is one teen who's keeping things in perspective. "Unfortunately, violence is a part of the society that my generation is growing up in," she says. "It makes me more aware of my surroundings at all times but it is not something I live in constant fear of."

That's a spirit Oppenberg shares with her heroes: Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Marian Anderson and Anne Frank. "Although these women lived so many years ago, they are an inspiration to me," Oppenberg says. "I would like to very much be like them and touch people's lives."

One has to believe those four women would be very proud indeed.

Want to see more?

• Model Behavior: Today's Teens and the Role Models They Choose
• The Power of Giving: Teen Volunteers Make a Difference for Themselves and Others
• Bombs and Bookbags: How Teens Are Responding to School Violence
• Teen Thoughts on Drinking