Ashely Rose Murphy, 17, sits at her dinner table with nine of her closest brothers and sisters. All but eight of them have some type of disability but each is a volunteer.

On her recent Me to We trip to East Africa, she met two girls, Naomi and Faith, who have HIV.

“They were too busy living their lives to think much about it,” she told a packed Key Arena during the third We Day event in Seattle on April 23. “… But we have something in common. I also have HIV.”

The motivational youth speaker told her story of being abandoned by her biological father and being birthed by an alcoholic/addict mother.

When she was born, doctors took her blood, confirmed the unthinkable and told her adoptive parents to “prepare for the worst.”

“But clearly, I had other plans,” Murphy said. “I wasn’t supposed to be here but I am and I feel great.”

Thousands of teenaged students cheered.

Murphy was just one of more than 40 inspirational speakers and performers to share their messages and stories about empowerment and compassion.

Others included Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll, Macklemore, Seahawks players Doug Baldwin, Luke Willson, Bobby Wagner, Jimmy Graham and Russell Wilson. The first woman of color in space, Mae Jamison; Olympic medalist Apolo ohno; Laila Ali — daughter of Muhammad Ali; Kweku Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela; a man with no legs, Spencer West and many others also spoke.

Close to 600 students from the Federal Way school district were among 15,000 students, teachers and volunteers who attended.

All of them earned their way into the event by taking on one local and global challenge.

“Seeing 600 of our students who have participated in local and global causes inspired by incredible motivational speakers at We Day, inspires me and makes me grateful that Federal Way Public Schools is committed to educating students about issues that impact not only our community, but the world,” said Randy Kazor, the director of global initiatives at the school district.

Co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger founded We Day after Craig Kielburger created the international charity Free The Children at just 12 years old.

Now in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, the Canadian-based youth empowerment event wouldn’t be in Seattle, or the U.S., without the help of Pete Carroll, event sponsors but also Federal Way Public Schools.

“Federal Way, in its own way, played a part in bringing We Day to the United States,” said school board member Hiroshi Eto. “Free the Children cofounder Craig Kielburger selected our district to help kick off the first-ever We Day event in the United States — We Day Seattle.”

In October 2012, Craig Kielburger launched the announcement of the first We Day in the U.S. at Federal Way High School. The event was streamed live to each school in the district and spawned the We Scare Hunger food drive that each school in the district participates in to this day. The first We Day was on March 27, 2013, and more than 1,200 students from the Federal Way school district attended.

Yet, many attribute Carroll as the true persuasion.

“I had an opportunity to hear Craig speak in Tacoma and he inspired me with his energy and enthusiasm,” Carroll said at a press conference during We Day. “… I contacted him a couple days after that and I had to do a little homework, a little research and started asking what he was all about.”

He was inspired.

“We sensed an opportunity when he said that he’d love to be in an American school,” Carroll said. “We got started, we got to start now, so we joined arms and we rushed it along to get here. We pushed it because we wanted to get it along, we wanted to be first and we wanted to set the tone for We Day coming to America. And it’s such an obvious movement that once people become aware of it, everybody wants to be part of it.”

Soon, Microsoft was an early sponsor, while Allstate would join later.

This year, students are still being impacted by the five-hour phenomenon.

“A lot of kids nowadays are complaining about what they don’t have or something that we really want but won’t get but there are other kids in different countries that are suffering way more than we are,” said Todd Beamer High School senior Carrie Lyn Ramos, 17. “I think We Day really opened my eyes to that.”

Ramos participated in Todd Beamer High School teacher Sue Bergman’s Current World Problems, Inspiring Youth class and was a “crowd pumper” volunteer at the We Day event.

Also a senior at Todd Beamer High School, 18-year-old Tomo Weir said he was most inspired by Spencer West.

“He shows that even though he has a disability and half of his body is gone, he still never gives up and tries his best at everything he does,” said the Free the Children club member. “He climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and he walks on his hands, it’s unbelievable what he can do.”

Bergman said We Day’s performances are enjoyable but she was particularly moved by Mae Jemison.

Jemison went to college at the age of 16 before becoming an engineer, a doctor and eventually an astronaut.

“I think as a teacher, the energy in the room and watching the kids just go crazy and to see their expressions light up as they’re seeing the different performers and getting involved and wanting to go so badly that they’re willing to go to two to three days of training before they even get to the event,” Bergman said. “The time commitment the kids are making and the time that the Free the Children club members have participated in all year long, just for the opportunity to go, it’s just really rewarding because I know how hard they worked in order to get there.”

And if We Day is meant to empower teenagers and young adults, it’s reached at least one Federal Way student.

“Our club president said beforehand that when you go to these and listen to inspirational speakers, don’t just say, ‘Oh, that’s cool’ and go back to your old habits,” Weir said. “Take it in and make a difference and that’s something I’ve been wanting to do this year more than any other year.”

On weekends, Weir volunteers at a local food bank near his house, the Federal Way Senior Center, and was able to contribute a lot by getting donations from grocery stores and giving to those in need.

“It’s a really cool experience for kids to be recognized for doing good things and for helping their community, for helping their global community, working together in the school community and reaching out to help others,” said Joni Hall, Todd Beamer’s principal. “To understand how it’s important to give back and how it’s important to be selfless and to help others, but also get rewarded because they’re kids.”

Students from Thomas Jefferson High School, Decatur High School, Federal Way High School, Kilo, Lakota, Saghalie, TAF Academy, Federal Way Public Academy, Sequoyah, Sacajawea, Nautilus, International Academy, Illahee, Totem, Truman, Woodmont and Camelot were present at We Day.

For more information or to get involved, visit www.weday.com.