This past December, students and staff at Governor Mifflin Middle School in Shillington, PA discovered that their actions at home are touching lives a world away. Through vibrant photos and wondrous tales of hope and progress, the Governor Mifflin community was witness to the difference they are making each and every day to the residents of Ivory Park, South Africa.

Student council advisor Nancy Brady explains that students and staff first learned about Ivory Park through a presentation by the Keep It! Campaign’s founder, Bob Tryanski. When they heard about the challenges facing Ivory Park residents, the school community enthusiastically accepted the challenge to act locally and reach globally.

After the campaign presentation, each homeroom at the middle school received a photograph of a child from Ivory Park, a tangible representation to help students remember that they were reaching out to someone real. “Putting a name and a face on the project is important for middle school students,” says Brady. “Our students learned of places and people that they had never heard of before. They learned that they can do things right in their own backyard and touch the lives of children thousands of miles away.”

Brady explains that each of the 24 homeroom teams prepared care packages including blankets, friendship bracelets, pictures frames, and puzzles for their new friends. Teams also joined forces to create a children’s book, The ABC’s of Governor Mifflin Middle School. The book, which includes stories and pictures about America and Governor Mifflin students, now adorns the shelves at the new library in Ivory Park. To further their outreach, several fund raising events were planned.

In December of 2010, students and staff gathered to view photos and hear about the progress being made in Ivory Park thanks to the efforts of Keep It! Campaign supporters like Governor Mifflin MS. Perhaps most influential was the story of a three-week-old baby girl who recently arrived at the Sedimosang Day Care Center. Because the infant’s family could not care for her, she was brought to the day care center. Notes received by Keep It! organizers in Ivory Park indicated that day care workers wrapped the baby in a blanket sent by Governor Mifflin students: “The baby was happy in one of the warm blankets made by the students. It is good to know that with the help of these donations and the big mother heart of a care giver named Josephine, that this little girl will be okay.”

Brady notes that the photos and stories from Ivory Park made a lasting impression on students and helped to solidify the fact that their service work has been important. “The story of the three-week-old baby being welcomed and wrapped in a blanket made right here at our school touched every heart in the gym,” she says. “And, the before and after pictures of the library and kitchen brought thunderous applause from the student body and staff. Knowing that they had made a significant impact in the lives of children and adults halfway across the globe was a wonderful way for our students and staff to start the holiday season.”