Hi Friends of buildOn,
Today is all about Alexis and Givon! Why? Because today, Wednesday, March 13th, we're working to FULLY FUND their trips to Malawi.
Starting at 9 am ET today, GlobalGiving is matching donations made to our project 30%. This is HUGE! That means that for one day only, your donation of $100 is actually $130.
It costs $3,000 to send one student on the adventure of a lifetime--to Malawi to help build a school for a community in need. Together, let's fully fund Alexis and Givon's trips today.
She describes herself as adventuresome, independent, and outgoing. Her strongest subject is math because she is “good at putting numbers together and solving problems.” She says her special interests are biology and medicine and that she wants to major in forensic science in college! Alexis is the secretary of Key Club, a community service club at her high school.
In her application, Alexis said “I am going to be dealing with new people, new languages, new cultures, and new responsibilities. What I am most excited about is being able to make a difference by helping others to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations through service and education.”
He is funny, outgoing, and intelligent. He says his strongest subject is math because it’s in his blood! Many of his family members are accountants. He likes electronics and he is always on social sites. Givon is the captain of the Eastern track team and he was Mr. Sophomore at this year’s homecoming!
In his application to buildOn, Givon said “One of my character traits that will help my trek team is having a sense of humor. I love to make people smile. For those that may be feeling down or home sick, I believe laughing is one of the best medicines in that situation.“
Check out the video that Alexis, Givon, and the four other student ambassadors made in preparation for their trip!
Remember, when you make a donation to our project on March 13th, GlobalGiving will match the donation 30%. Please give today!
Thank you so much for your support!
Alexis
Links:
Hi Friends of buildOn DC,
We are THRILLED to announce that we have selected our six student ambassadors to go to Malawi this July! Over the next several months, we will be sharing the stories of these six students.
But first, we are excited to tell you about our partnership with Eastern Senior High School and to let you know about an upcoming fundraising event, a fun and easy way to help us send these kids to Malawi!
The Selection Process
We are fortunate to be working with several fantastic staff from the school—Kelly Hart, a school counselor, and Megan Fisk, a 10th chemistry teacher—and we have the full support of Principal Skerritt. The staff was eager to hit the ground running and just two weeks after we met to confirm our partnership, we were already meeting with interested students and parents!
Thirty five 10th grade students were nominated by their teachers to attend an information session in December. The response was tremendous. Students eagerly asked to learn more and expressed interest in this once in a lifetime opportunity.
In January, students completed applications, consisting of five short answer questions and one essay. The DC Chapter joined Kelly and Megan in reviewing applications. They were incredible! We were so moved by the students’ sincere desire to be ambassadors for their school and their country; their earnest gratitude for their own, free education; and their interest in helping a community in need halfway around the world!
One student wrote: “I have decided to apply for the Chapter Trek because it will give me the opportunity to serve and help others. I understand that there are other countries that are dealing with poverty… it is my duty to make that possible for them to have a better way of life. And when I get to Africa, I hope to gain more leadership skills, learn about their culture, serve others, work as a team, and most importantly gain knowledge.”
So where do YOU come in?
The pressure is on and we have to deliver. We need to raise the money needed to send these students (and a teacher) to Malawi to build this school. To make this happen we need to go BIG and go BOLD. Over the next two months, we will be hosting several fundraisers to help us reach our $35,000 goal by the end of April.
Calling all DC supporters!
To start with, we’re hosting a Happy Hour Fundraiser on March 7th at Local 16 in Washington, DC. We want to raise $6,000 (enough to cover the costs for two student to go to Malawi) in one night and we need your help to do that.
How can you help? Bring as many friends as you can and meet us at Local 16 on March 7th.
Drinks, food, good company, raffle prizes and an awesome silent auction AND, most importantly, the chance to change two student’s lives (and an entire village in Malawi!) all in ONE night. Can you think of a better way to celebrate the winter thaw?
If you live in the DC area, RSVP here to attend our March 7th fundraiser!
Thank you again for your continued support! Keep an eye out for more updates about our six trek participants in the upcoming weeks.
Sincerely,
Alexis & buildOn DC
Wow – with YOUR help buildOn DC raised close to $10,000 in September! 120 people came together to help us get a jump start on our goal to raise $35,000 to send 6 DC high schoolers to Malawi to build a school next summer. Thank you so much!
A little information about buildOn DC
The DC buildOn Chapter is a small group of passionate and determined volunteers. We’ve come together because the state of education here in DC is dire: only 58% of high schoolers graduate and of those who graduate, only 23% graduate from college. We want to give local high school students the opportunity to break out of their daily routine and to act as volunteers and leaders in their own communities and around the world.
This year our Chapter is working hard to:
Where do you come in?
You are invited to join buildOn DC’s monthly meetings and volunteer opportunities! Email me at buildOnDC@gmail.com to join our listserv and take a minute to “Like” us on Facebook.
Thank you again for your tremendous support. We’ll be in touch soon.
All the best,
Alexis
P.S. Looking for a special holiday gift? Check out our “gift for good.” Receive a wooden hand carved bowl from Malawi when you make a $30 donation to buildOn’s project on GlobalGiving. Learn more here!
