Monthly Archives: February 2011

PASC Introduces a Dodgeball Tournament Contest to Support the Keep It! Campaign

In January, we invited PASC members to celebrate the progress made in Ivory Park, South Africa through their support of the “Keep It!” Campaign. Since the project’s inception 18-months ago, an expanding network of social entrepreneurs has allowed us to make significant advances toward our goal. A library has been built, books are on the shelves, and we are funding the salaries of several fulltime teachers. We have raised half of our fundraising goal. As we look forward to continued progress in 2011, we would like to introduce an exciting year-long initiative inspired by several of our PASC member schools and organized by our regional representatives.

This year, PASC and “Keep It!” are sponsoring a statewide contest to challenge member schools to act locally and reach globally. With this contest, schools are invited to host dodgeball tournaments in support of the Keep It! Campaign. The tournament is based on a scalable, replicable project model first used by students at North Allegheny. With the assistance of NA students and staff, PASC and Keep It! supporters have developed a how-to manual that documents the secrets to planning a successful dodgeball tournament. This manual is now available to all PASC member schools.

In addition to presenting students with valuable lessons in leadership, the goal of the dodgeball project is to fund our continuing efforts in Ivory Park AND to support community needs in your own hometown. This concept is being modeled by one of our partner schools. At Oak Park Elementary, students have created a sunshine fund. Monies raised throughout the year are shared by the Oak Park and the Ivory Park communities. Support of the sunshine fund allows students and staff to care for their own neighbors while building connections with people thousands of miles away.

It is hoped that through Keep It! Dodgeball Tournaments, schools can provide support to their own communities and to Ivory Park. The details for the dodgeball tournament contest are as follows:

• Our goal is to recruit sixty schools to sponsor Keep It! Dodgeball Tournaments before October 15, 2011.

• Between January 15th and March 15th PASC will promote the tournament idea and recruit schools to register online at www.keepitcampaign.com/dodgeball.

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Your Dollars Are Making a Difference

In Ivory Park, small donations can make a world of difference. Here’s how your dollars are transforming the community:

■$10 buys a book for the library.
■$10 covers the cost of a hot meal a day for three children at the day care center for an entire month
■$10 covers the cost of a hot meal for a senior citizen at the soup kitchen twice a week for a full month.
■$10 a month covers a teacher’s salary for an entire month over the course of a year.
■$25 a month pays the salaries of five cooks for an entire month over the course of a year.
■$50 a month pays the salary of a librarian for one month over the course of a year.
■$100 covers propane, transportation, and other costs at the Suppa du Mamma Soup Kitchen.
■$375 per month provides a daily, balanced meal to 120 of the children at Sedimosang Center.

■$500 provides 60 seniors with two meals a week for an entire month at the Suppa du Mamma Kitchen.
■$750 covers the cost for a local librarian to receive a week of professional development training.
■$875 pays for a computer database system to catalog the library collection and manage the library.
■$1,500 pays the salary of a teacher/tutor for an entire year.
■$6,000 builds a complete, state-of-the-art kitchen that feeds 120 preschool children every day, 60 senior citizens twice a week and another 160 school-age children every day after school.

To join our efforts by donating to the project, follow the attached link. Together, we are building a community of hope.

http://www.bobtryanski.com/keepitcampaign/ivorypark/donate.html