Emily Lamb wouldn’t call herself a hero.

But a national clothing catalog did.

Emily Lamb, left, visits with Michael Perkins and Sarah Coleman during a party at the Community Drop-In Center, 214 W. 10th St. Twelve-year-old Lamb, who throws birthday parties for the homeless at the center, was honored in the latest Lands' End catalog as a born

The Lawrence 12-year-old appears in the Fall 2002 issue of Lands’ End Kids, whose editors have decided that Lamb’s work throwing monthly birthday parties for Lawrence’s homeless and needy makes her a “born hero.”

“I just never thought I’d win an award for something I love doing,” Lamb said Wednesday during the latest party at the Community Drop-In Center, 214 W. 10th St.

A photograph of Lamb and the eight other youths selected from across the country grace the catalog’s fold-out cover. A short blurb inside, next to a picture of Lamb, describes her efforts on behalf of the community.

“It’s really a strange feeling to look up to your daughter,” said Lamb’s mother, Stacey Lamb. “She is very inspirational to me. When I was that age, I wasn’t thinking about that stuff.”

The younger Lamb has been thinking about the needs of the homeless for a long time. At 5, she started volunteering at a local soup kitchen after seeing a woman sleeping on the street and realizing some people didn’t have homes. Several years ago, she began wondering what homeless people did on their birthdays.

She had her first homeless birthday party in April 2001 at the center.

The Central Junior High School student derives as much pleasure from the bashes today as she did when she started them.

¢ Land’s End catalog’s Born Heroes

“It’s just great to hear them having fun instead of outside hot and sweating,” she said at Wednesday’s party as raucous laughter and singing emanated from a nearby room.

As she does at every party, Lamb passed out gifts to guests. A pair of sunglasses and a container of Tic Tacs were tucked into each of the festively decorated bags.

Wednesday’s party fell just one day after the real birthday of one of the guests. Lamb and others sang “Happy Birthday” to Elizabeth Rusch, who turned 27 on Tuesday. Another volunteer played along on the violin while party-goers munched on cake and ice cream.

“This is pretty cool,” Rusch said.

Earlier this spring, Lands’ End flew Lamb and her family to Miami for a photo shoot, where she met the other children granted hero status by the magazine.

“It was really inspirational to hear what they had done and see what I was compared to,” Lamb said.

Lands’ End, a Wisconsin-based clothing company that sells direct through catalogs and from a handful of stores in the United States and England, has donated $5,000 to each child’s cause news that Drop-In Center director Tami Clark said was exciting.

“That was a real godsend, to be quite honest,” she said.

The money will help the center provide employment assistance, through transportation vouchers and sack lunches, and continue to offer its other regular services.

“It’s great to get national recognition,” Clark said, “especially through such a wonderful source. I don’t know how she (Emily) does it. She’s maintained every bit of her energy and enthusiasm toward this.”

To volunteer or donate food or gifts, call the Community Drop-In Center at 832-8864.