When it comes to acts of service, Bermuda-born Alicia Fox is intent on making a difference to Native American populations in the US.The 18-year-old has founded a charity Rez ANGELS that provides books, school supplies and clothes to Native Americans from economically-challenged areas.Over the past few years she has collected more than 4,000 books for young people in South Dakota. She has also provided scores of young people with such items as backpacks, clothes, V-tech computer learning games and toys.Thanks to her generosity, a coming-of-age ceremony was held for Ms Fox two weeks ago. She was given a special Lakota name, Ptehincala Sapa Waste Win, which means Good Black Buffalo Calf Woman, and a beautiful beaded crown to wear.Ms Fox, who is the daughter of Bermudian Richard Fox and American Nina Fox, descended from the local Wampanoag people and the Cherokees.Considering she lives more than 18 hours away from the reservation communities she works with, she said it meant even more to be recognised by the people.“It was important to be honoured not just by friends, but by the elders, who work on the reservation. They know me by name and see me as someone who helped them and who is part of their life.”Ms Fox was ten years old when she first decided to help the Native American community in South Dakota, which has a nearly 80 percent poverty rate. At a Christmas party she was surprised to see children received only fresh fruit as gifts.“I was really shocked that something like an orange was all a child would get on such a big occasion.“They see the movies where kids get lots of clothes and toys and they are getting a piece of fruit, which to them was a lot, but they envy the children on television.”Immediately after that, she held a fundraising drive for the children and teenagers on two reservations Pine Ridge and Rosebud.They ended up raising enough money to provide between 40 and 60 children with backpacks and school supplies.She said: “It felt amazing [helping out] because I had so much at the time and you see people with so little and it really makes you want to help them. I felt good knowing I was helping someone.”In 2007, Ms Fox founded the charity Rez ANGELS Inc Reservation-American Native Goals for the Education of the Lakota Spirit.She has collected thousands of books donated by a store in her area and is hoping to create a library for young people on the reservation.She recently donated equipment to refurbish a dilapidated golf course on the Rosebud Reservation. She also raised money to buy winter clothing and supported a weekly soup kitchen.For the past seven years she has also donated her Christmas and birthday gifts to the charity as well as prize money won dancing at regional powwow celebrations.It hasn’t all been easy some people do not have transportation and cannot travel far to get goods, she explained.“The hardest part was getting in contact with people on the reservation because it’s really divided. They are separated by two or three miles and are very different cultures.“We had to try to find a place to distribute the goods and make sure things were distributed equally.”Ms Fox recently graduated from high school and will pursue an education and history degree at Eastern Kentucky University this autumn; she hopes to one day become a teacher.In the meantime, the teenager is looking to spend time on the reservations this summer and take part in an internship programme.She credits much of her success to her mother Nina and said: “Since I was born she pushed me to be the best I can be to help others and never give up.”To find out how you can donate to Rez ANGELS e-mail alicia.n.fox@gmail.com.