In Ivory Park, children are thankful for support provided by the students and staff at North Allegheny High School in PA.

   At North Allegheny High School in Wexford, PA, students are social entrepreneurs. Through recent dodgeball tournaments, organizers of You Throw it; I Dodge it; They Keep it! did more than just raise funds for the people of Ivory Park, South Africa. They also developed a scalable, replicable project model – a tangible template of success filled with clear-cut strategies that other schools can apply.

     In the summer of 2009, North Allegheny student Akshaya Arjunan was introduced to the concept of social entrepreneurship and the Keep It! Campaign while attending an Advanced Gold Workshop sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils (PASC). After learning about the hardships facing Ivory Park residents, Arjunan was inspired to take action. She encouraged a committee of classmates to act locally and reach globally by including Ivory Park as a beneficiary of the high school’s upcoming tournament. Tesin Gnalian, a 2010 graduate of North Allegheny, served as a cabinet head in charge of organizing the event. The group’s efforts paid off and more than $1,100 was collected for Ivory Park.

     During the 2010-2011 school year, the students hosted a second dodgeball tournament to benefit Keep It! This time, student council member Antony Gnalian was ready to take the leadership reigns from sister Tesin. “Tesin’s determination and drive is what influenced me to become a student leader,” he says. “She taught me that you do not need a fancy executive title in order to make a difference.”

     Along with winning leadership qualities, Antony also shared his sister’s commitment to making a difference in Ivory Park. He notes that students at North Allegheny have access to a quality education, and he believes in sharing this opportunity with others who are less fortunate. He states, “It is important that we give as much as we can to help improve educational facilities. This way other children may have opportunities to rise through the ranks and help contribute to the advancement of society.”

     Rather than starting from scratch, 2010-2011 tournament organizers were able to rely on documentation from their past experiences to make project planning easier. In addition, students and staff took their leadership responsibilities to the next level by contributing key materials for the creation of a dodgeball tournament manual.  “Basically, all of the information we needed was right there at our fingertips,” explains student council adviser Patti Dzambo. “Having the model as a guide helped to ease the overwhelming nature of the project.” As a result, students collected more than $1,900 for Keep It!

     With project blueprints provided by North Allegheny, the PASC’s Kathy Coll and Keep It! founder Bob Tryanski were able to publish a “how to” manual documenting the secrets to planning a successful dodgeball tournament. The manual is currently available to all schools in Pennsylvania and throughout the country. “The manual has become such a valuable tool for other schools to use in states as far away from Pennsylvania as Texas and New Mexico.  North Allegheny’s idea has had tremendous reach and this is only the beginning,” says Tryanski.  

     Dzambo is proud of the efforts of North Allegheny students and co-adviser Pam Kohlmann in supporting local community efforts as well as the Campaign for Ivory Park. She notes that photos and story updates regarding the progress in Ivory Park are motivating. “The students at North Allegheny are some of the most dedicated, loyal, and giving students any adviser could ask for,” says Dzambo. “It is fabulous that we have officers who are willing to devote many hours toward creating opportunities that allow our student body to have fun while supporting a worthwhile cause.”

Patti Dzambo and her team are making a difference in Ivory Park.

     Tryanski believes that the efforts of the NA team have impacted the success of the Keep It! Campaign and have created positive, long-term changes in Ivory Park. He notes, “There are so many inspiring dimensions to the North Allegheny Keep It! story.  Akshaya and Tesin’s friendship got things moving for us at the school. Antony’s relationship with his sister continued the momentum. But the one constant from one year to the next has been the guidance, direction, encouragement, and support provided by Patti Dzambo.  Patti has been a true champion for this project, and thousands of miles away, more children are being fed, more books are being read and a community grows stronger. This is the power of connection, caring and concern that Patti, Pam Kohlmann, and the students of NA have given to Ivory Park.  What a wonderful, meaningful, significant gift!”

     The Keep It! Campaign is proud to honor Patti Dzambo, Pam Kohlmann, and the amazing student leaders at North Allegheny High School. As a team, they Keep It Going! with dedication, enthusiasm, and the implementation of a project model that works. 

     To view the dodgeball tournament manual, go to www.keepitcampaign.com/dodgeball.

When we launched the Keep It! Campaign, one of the core ideas was that our success or failure would be directly related to how well we were able to harness the “Power of Ten”. The key to this strategy was the idea of multiplication. Raising funds is certainly critical, but it’s even more important to “Keep It Going!” by connecting others to the cause. As we have moved forward, a number of key individuals have helped us to unlock the “Power of Ten”. Their stories are as diverse as they are inspiring. Each has connected a wide range of people to the project, raised significant funds to support the cause, and brought their own personal talents and interests to the project. Through a new feature entitled “Keep It! Going”, we will salute these champions by sharing their stories and recognizing their contribution with a simple keychain created by the children of Ivory Park.

“Give your students the opportunity to make a difference, and they will exceed your expectations.” This philosophy has been a motivating force for educator Nancy Brady for more than 30 years. First through her work with children with special needs and most recently as a student council adviser at Governor Mifflin Middle School (Shillington, PA), Brady has taught children that their actions can make a difference not only to peers in their own community but also to children half a world away in Ivory Park, South Africa.

Though Brady officially retired from her teaching position at Governor Mifflin in 2009, she has retained her role as student council adviser and remained the driving force behind Governor Mifflin’s energetic support of the Keep It! Campaign. She explains that her students were responsive to the needs of Ivory Park residents after they saw a picture presentation that allowed them to put a name and a face with the project. In addition to a holiday dance fundraiser, students have worked together to make quilts, photo frames, puzzles, and an illustrated ABC book for the new library. “The most important reason that our students responded to this campaign is because they learned about the children of Ivory Park,” she says. “They had an understanding of how they live and what the campaign is trying to accomplish.” 

For her leadership and dedication to the Keep It! Campaign, Nancy Brady has received a special key ring made by the children of Ivory Park. Brady’s students at Governor Mifflin Middle School wrote and illustrated an ABC book for the new Ivory Park library.

Brady believes that advisers can increase student interest in any service project by helping the students feel a personal connection to the people they are helping. “When kids have a real connection, they become more involved,” she notes. “When (Keep It! founder) Bob Tryanski brought Ivory Park to our kids with pictures and facts, they embraced the cause.”

Brady has applied this same guiding principle many times throughout her career. She relates an incident in which a simple meeting served to break down barriers and build connections. “Many years ago, I brought physically challenged preschoolers into our building four times a year to visit one-on-one with our student council members,” she explains. “The students would return to their homerooms telling positive stories about these children. Once a year, the entire homeroom would meet their new preschool friend and his or her parents. A new connection was made along with a new understanding of the challenges. The program continued for ten years. It was amazing to watch the enthusiasm.”

As experienced advisers know, the toughest part of keeping any campaign going is preserving interest in a project after the initial enthusiasm has waned. Brady notes that the adviser can serve an important role by sustaining project visibility. With the Keep It! Campaign, Brady maintains a display case showing photos of children from Ivory Park. Tryanski also returned to Governor Mifflin to show the students pictures of the positive changes that had occurred in Ivory Park as a result of their efforts. Brady notes that frequent reminders and updates regarding project progression and success can help motivate students to stay involved.

But perhaps the most important advice that Brady can offer other educators is to lead with a contagious enthusiasm. “Be passionate about whatever cause you choose. Our students learn best from our example,” she says. “Show them the way.” 

Tryanski notes that Brady’s enthusiasm is one quality that makes Brady a top notch educator and role model. “If you want to learn how to be a great teacher, coach, mentor, or advisor, spend a day with Nancy Brady and take copious notes,” he says. “Nancy embodies a passion for teaching, an ethic of service and the patience and commitment to showing young people how to go beyond making a difference.  She was one of President Bush’s original Points of Light and the example she has set is an eternal flame of generosity, opportunity, and hope for educators and the young people that they serve.”

The Keep It! Campaign is proud to honor Nancy Brady, a campaign champion who “Keeps It! Going” through strong leadership and dedication.

When we launched the Keep It! Campaign, one of the core ideas was that our success or failure would be directly related to how well we were able to harness the “Power of Ten”. The key to this strategy was the idea of multiplication. Raising funds is certainly critical, but it’s even more important to “Keep It Going!” by connecting others to the cause. As we have moved forward, a number of key individuals have helped us to unlock the “Power of Ten”. Their stories are as diverse as they are inspiring. Each has connected a wide range of people to the project, raised significant funds to support the cause, and brought their own personal talents and interests to the project. Through a new feature entitled “Keep It! Going”, we will salute these champions by sharing their stories and recognizing their contribution with a simple keychain created by the children of Ivory Park.

Troy Davis is enthusiastic about current pursuits, future goals, and new opportunities. In short, Troy Davis is enthusiastic about life. As a PASC executive board member and a student council representative at Ford City High School (Ford City, PA), Davis approaches his service-related responsibilities with a high energy attitude and the motivation to succeed. Recently, this contagious spirit took root at Ford City High School where Davis and his peers engaged in a dynamic dance-a-thon that raised over $1,200 for the Keep It! Campaign.

Davis first learned about Keep It! and the Campaign for Ivory Park at a PASC presentation. “I was personally affected by the before and after pictures of conditions in South Africa. Actually seeing what we as a team were able to build was inspirational,” he notes. “After the presentation, I talked to Kathy Coll to learn more about the project and to understand it better.”

Davis returned to Ford City excited to present the Ivory Park story to his peers. Because his high school already participates in a dodgeball tournament for another important cause (dodgeball is a current PASC initiative to support Ivory Park), the student council team brainstormed about other possible fundraising opportunities. Ultimately, they decided to host a dance-a-thon that would be planned by Davis and fellow student council member Tori Hendrickson.

At Ford City High School (Ford City, PA), more than 150 student dancers participated in a dance-a-thon to benefit Ivory Park.

Davis and Hendrickson, with the support of student council adviser Cathy Rudosky, documented the rules for the dance-a-thon and began recruiting dance teams as well as student and adult volunteers to oversee the event. They also enlisted the help of the community in collecting snack donations and prizes. Teams contributed a $30 sign-up fee and also solicited donations from sponsors. In the end, more than 150 student dancers took to the floor in a six hour dancing extravaganza that raised $1,250 for Ivory Park. 

Dance-a-thon Judges

Keep It! founder Bob Tryanski notes that Davis’ energy has been a force in promoting Keep It! dodgeball tournaments through PASC. He was pleased that Davis was able to build support for Ivory Park even though Ford City was promoting a dodgeball tournament for an alternative project. “One of the true marks of a leader is the ability to champion an idea,” says Tryanksi. “Troy’s energy and enthusiasm are perfect examples of what it takes to get people on board. At Ford City, students had already made significant commitments to another important cause through a dodgeball tournament. Troy said, ‘That’s fine. . .so what else can we do?’ Working with Tori and Cathy, he built a team to Keep It Going. You can’t do anything significant without this type of leadership.”

Davis explains that the leadership lessons gained through service work have been invaluable. “Student council has given me a completely different perspective and a new appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes,” he says. “Before, I used to enjoy just attending events. Now, I understand what goes into creating the finished product. It’s so important to say ‘thank you’ to volunteers, parents, teachers, and students who give their own time to help your event be a success. In this case, I especially want to thank Tori Hendrickson and Cathy Rudosky for helping the idea of the dance-a-thon to grow.”

Troy Davis (left) enjoys working with other student leaders.

Along with his student council responsibilities, Davis also enjoys volleyball, drama, and musical theater. He recently participated in his school’s production of Singing in the Rain. In the long run, Davis hopes to attend medical school and thinks that the lessons learned through his participation in student council will be transferrable to his future career.

The Keep It! Campaign is proud to honor Troy Davis, a campaign champion with the energy and enthusiasm to “Keep It Going!”

While Hannah and I were in South Africa, we had the good fortune to meet Henny and Trees Stege, a retired couple from the Netherlands. Henny and Trees are spending their retirement creating and implementing sustainable social entrepreneurial projects designed to permanently improve the quality of life in one of the poorest townships in South Africa.

Henny and Trees partnered with local civic leaders, health care workers, and women’s groups. As a result of these partnerships, hundreds of children, many of them AIDS orphans, are being provided with outstanding daily child care at Sedimosang, a day care center right in the heart of the township.

Thousands of schoolchildren are also having their vision tested and receiving affordable eyeglasses at Ke Bona, an eye clinic Henny and Trees created.

Finally, groups of senior women are preparing and sharing a nutritious meal several times a week with other seniors. Currently, these women are working in a church with no running water or electricity. They could reach many so more people with a safe, fully functioning facility.

Henny and Trees are, without a doubt, models of successful social entrepreneurs. Each of their efforts has been designed to be a self-sufficient enterprise, managed, staffed and eventually financed by the residents of Ivory Park themselves. Their latest dream is to bring each of these projects together under one roof in a community center located right in the middle of the township. The community center will house the eye care clinic, the day care center, the soup kitchen, a library and after school study/tutoring center.

I believe that we can help with this project by tapping into our personal connections and the network of schools, student organizations and student leaders throughout the United States. By challenging them to refocus their skills and interests I believe we can teach students how to develop their capacity to be social entrepreneurs. The exciting thing is that we have the potential to have an immediate, direct, and personal impact by mobilizing students throughout the US and working together with individuals who are changing lives for the better every single day in South Africa.