When Amanda Rosse turned 8 years old on July 11, she didn't ask for toys or games for her birthday party.

Instead, she wanted her guests to bring diapers so that they could be donated to the Iowa City Crisis Center.

Amanda Rosse • Age: 8. • Hometown: Iowa City. • Family: Mother, Mem; father, Steve; 9-year-old brother Andaman. • Hobbies and interests: Drawing, reading, writing, swimming, playing piano, Brownie member. • Education: Roosevelt Elementary third-grader.

The Iowa City girl collected 60 pounds of diapers.

After her good deed, Amanda was 25 percent through the completion of earning her Brownie Scout community service badge. It was not the first time Amanda had thought of others before herself. She has three requirements left to fulfill in order to receive the badge.

When she was 5 years old, she cut a 12-inch braid of hair to donate to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides hair pieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 who suffer from long-term medical hair loss.

At age 7, she lopped off another 12 inches, again for Locks of Love. She is now waiting for her hair to grow long enough to donate a third time.

"It felt good to give to the community," said Amanda, who will be a third-grader this fall at Roosevelt Elementary.

Her mother, Mem, has been volunteering at the Crisis Center for about two years - about as long as her daughter has been in scouting.

"When I came here, I wanted to help others," said Mem Rosse, who moved to Iowa City with her family from Thailand in 1997. "I want to give back to the community."

Acts of community service are commonplace in the Rosse family. Andaman Rosse, 9, already is planning his birthday party in November, when he wants to collect hats or mittens to donate to the Crisis Center.

Mem Rosse often takes her children to the Crisis Center to help stock shelves with food.

She credits the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts programs with influencing her two children to perform community service and teaching them everyday skills.

"It's a very good program," Mem Rosse said.

In Thailand, she also was an active member of a program similar to the Girl Scouts. She found the experience to be beneficial, which is why she encourages her kids to be involved. She also donated 12 inches of her hair to a cancer center in Thailand.

Steve Rosse, Amanda's father and co-leader of his daughter's Brownie troop, says it's been fun working with Amanda because she enjoys being a part of the group.

"She found a way to make a difference in a lot of people's lives," Steve Rosse said.

Amanda said she would have another party for Crisis Center donations even though she found it hard to give up birthday presents.

"It was hard for me to give that up because I only got two toys, but it was worth it," she said.