Tag Archives: PASC Partner Schools

Lynn Clark “Keeps It Going” with Community Connections

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 feature entitled “Keep It! Going”, we salute these champions by sharing their stories and recognizing their contribution with a simple keychain created by the children of Ivory Park.

Lynn Clark cares about communities. Whether it’s her hometown neighbors, a South African township in need, or PASC students and peers, she believes in nurturing relationships. It is this desire to build strong connections that has made Clark one of the Keep It! Campaign’s most loyal advocates.

Clark is the student council adviser and a health and physical education teacher at Norwin High School (North Huntingdon, PA). She values the lessons modeled through the PASC and encourages her students to practice these ideals. Through student council initiatives, Norwin’s student leaders are learning decision-making skills that allow them to be proactive in meeting needs in their own community and beyond. “Our group is very active in PASC state conferences and summer programs,” says Clark. “I send my students to these workshops to learn about leadership. We value our relationship with the PASC and believe it is important to support their initiatives as well as what is happening in our own neighborhood.”

It was through a former student’s experience at a 2009 PASC summer workshop that Clark first learned about the Campaign for Ivory Park. She recalls Forrest Mance’s excitement when he first shared the Keep It! story with his peers, and she enthusiastically backed his efforts to gain the council’s support for the campaign. As a result, students raised more than $700 through a dodgeball tournament held on behalf of Keep It! “Forrest is an awesome leader who took the initiative to organize, plan, and collect the funds,” notes Clark. And while Mance got the ball rolling in support of the campaign, it has been Clark’s job to help maintain the momentum through the years.

“I try to influence the students when I can,” says Clark. “I want them to know that it is important to support our own community but that, even if it’s not in our neck of the woods, we can make a difference. It’s important to be supportive of those who need our help whenever and wherever we can.” This philosophy was put into play in the spring of 2011, when the Norwin student council hosted another dodgeball tournament. Clark notes that the students were excited about the opportunity to provide additional support for Keep It! when an unforeseen and violent act of nature changed their plans. “Our community was hit by a destructive tornado in the spring,” explains Clark. “Some areas were devastated.” In this case, Clark and her students knew that they needed to provide support to neighbors who were dealing with the crisis, so tournament proceeds were donated to local relief efforts.

Still, Clark notes that Ivory Park is always in the hearts and minds of her students. “The kids have seen pictures of the difference they are making in South Africa,” she says. “They want to be a part of it. They want to know about the progress being made. It has become personal for them.” Because of this, Clark and her students donated their remaining funds for the 2010-2011 school year to Keep It! In addition, students have donated concession stand proceeds from a November 2011 power puff game and are planning a February 2012 Keep It! dodgeball tournament.

“One of our long term goals is to expand the scope of Keep It! beyond Ivory park as we continue to accomplish our goals in South Africa,” explains Keep It! founder Bob Tryanski. “Norwin’s experience is the perfect illustration of how the idea of ‘Act Locally, Reach Globally’ can impact communities at home as well as abroad. When student leaders and their advisers are proactive rather than reactive, they are ready to respond to a crisis as soon as the need arises. They become decision makers and change agents, not just fund raisers. This doesn’t happen by accident; it happens by design. It’s sustainable, scalable, and replicable. Those are the hallmarks of social entrepreneurship.”

Through community connections and her efforts to provide sustainability for the Keep It! Campaign, Clark is teaching her students about the importance of reaching out to those in their own community and abroad. In October of 2010, her outstanding efforts were acknowledged when she was named a PASC adviser of the year. The Keep It! Campaign is proud to honor Lynn Clark, a campaign champion who “Keeps It Going” through sustained support and community connections.

Forrest Mance “Keeps It Going!” With a Dodgeball Tournament Tradition

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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.

When Forrest Mance was a sophomore at Norwin High School in North Huntingdon, PA, a world cultures course introduced him to the challenges facing impoverished communities in South Africa. The service-minded Mance was touched by what he saw, and he wanted to help. But though Mance had the motivation, he wasn’t sure how to transform his inspiration into a strategy that could impact people who live thousands of miles away. Enter the Keep It! Campaign.

Forrest Mance (second from right) and fellow student leaders at the June 2009 PASC Advanced Gold Workshop.

Mance had previously met Keep It! founder Bob Tryanski at a PASC summer workshop. When he learned about Tryanski’s work with the Campaign for Ivory Park, he knew that he’d found the perfect way to take action. Mance encouraged fellow student council members to embrace Keep It! and became the driving force behind a dodgeball tournament designed to benefit Ivory Park. He asked the high school news broadcasting group to make a promotional video advertising the tournament and posted flyers designed to spur interest. He expanded involvement by enlisting teams of teachers and students throughout the school district. As a result, Mance and the Norwin student council recruited 18 teams and raised $700 for the campaign.

“The great thing about Forrest’s willingness to take initiative at Norwin is that he was a catalyst for sustained support at his high school. Forrest graduated from Norwin last year, but the dodgeball tournament is happening again this year. Sustainable support is the key to our success in Ivory Park,” says Tryanski.

Mance’s involvement with the Keep It! Campaign helped to make him a global citizen, and he believes that all students need to be aware of issues affecting people in their own communities and abroad. His efforts also allowed him to practice valuable leadership skills. “Students need to realize the potential they have to change lives, not only in their own communities, but around the globe,” he says. “Through the campaign, I learned that it was possible for a high school student to make a huge contribution, and I also learned about planning and goal setting. Watching the event come together and realizing that I was able to directly improve someone’s life situation was satisfying.”

Forrest Mance (front) participates in an outdoor team building adventure at the PASC Advance Gold Workshop in 2009.

Mance graduated from high school in 2010 and is now a student at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. In addition to his studies, he devotes his time to volunteer work and is also an active member of a chess club and a rock band. In the short term, he hopes to graduate from Duquesne’s professional pharmacy program. “I’m not sure what the future holds after that,” he notes. “But, the leadership skills I learned through my experiences with the PASC and the Keep It! Campaign will be critical to whatever path I travel.” The Keep It! Campaign is proud to honor Forrest Mance, a campaign champion who “Keeps It Going!”

To learn how to host a dodgeball tournament at your school, visit www.keepitcampaign.com/dodgeball

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

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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.

Continue reading →

A Video Update from Ivory Park

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While there is still much work to be done, the amazing efforts of volunteers and supporters in Pennsylvania and across the country are making a substantial difference each and every day for the residents of Ivory Park.

This video montage is a celebration of the progress that has been made in Ivory Park over the past year. As you can see, there is much to celebrate.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

* Working with the Pennsylvania and Texas Association of Student Councils, we were able to raise enough money to get the library built. While the first round of books has made it to the shelves, our next task is to get the library fully stocked. Thanks especially to Governor Mifflin Middle School, Norwin High School, Kempner High School, North Allegheny High School, Union Middle School, Athens Middle School, Mars High School, North Penn High School, Riverview High School and many others for their assistance with the library project.

* The First Presbyterian Church in Greeneville, TN is well on its way to reaching the goal of raising enough money to pay for construction of the kitchen in the Ivory Park Community Center.

* We have been able to cover the salaries of four of the teachers in the day care center and after-school tutoring programs thanks to individual contributions and monthly donations.

* Our eBay Giving works site is up and running. A number of generous donations from corporate partners like Giansanti Design and Dynamx Digital have helped us to raise funds by recycling old software and electronic products.

* Our partnership with Awava allows us to offer wonderful handmade products from Uganda that will support women in that country with a living wage while also raising funds to support the Community Center in Ivory Park.

Check out the great products on our ebay Giving Works site

http://donations.ebay.com/charity/charity.jsp?NP_ID=32936

* Many donors have joined the Power of 10 monthly donation program which is generating regular income to support the Day Care Center and Soup Kitchen and Orphan Feeding Programs.

Join the Power of 10

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=9357326

Step by step, the efforts of our supporters are resulting in steady progress toward the development of strong student leaders and the completion of project goals. It’s been a great year. Help us to keep it going by joining the Keep It! Campaign today.

Video montage photos by Edward Coll, “Step by Step” by John McCutcheon has been used with the artist’s permission.

PASC Progress Report

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Thanks to PASC, “Keep It!” Reaches New Heights and Expands Its Challenge to “ACT LOCALLY, REACH GLOBALLY!”

While there is still much work to do, the efforts of our PASC partners and additional supporters are making a difference each and every day for the residents of Ivory Park. Read about the changes that have already taken place.

When the “Keep It!” Campaign was launched in September of 2009, our goal was to motivate young people to develop their capacity as social entrepreneurs. For the campaign’s inaugural project, young entrepreneurs were challenged to act locally and reach globally by helping to build a community of hope in Ivory Park, South Africa. Thanks to the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils, hope is alive and well in Ivory Park.

Backed by critical support from our member schools, “Keep It!” is drawing an ever increasing number of dedicated volunteers. Their efforts are resulting in steady progress toward the development of strong student leaders and the completion of project goals.

The dream is to build a community of hope in Ivory park. Helping us is a national network of social entrepreneurs led by the PASC.

To date, we have raised a little more than $20,000. These funds have allowed PASC to make a positive impact in Ivory Park, where U.S. dollars go a long way. A library has been built and the first round of books is already on the shelves. We have been able to fund the salaries of three full-time teachers for an entire calendar year. A fourth teacher’s salary has been covered by regular monthly contributions from a small group of PASC alums who have embraced the “Power of Ten” concept by contributing ten dollars a month.

In addition, construction of the community center kitchen has been completed. Much of the funding is in place, and our partners at First Presbyterian Church in Greeneville, TN, have pledged enough funds to cover the remaining kitchen costs.

Funds have also been directed to support feeding programs for the daycare center, soup kitchen, and an after-school program for teen orphans who, because of the AIDS crisis, are parenting their younger siblings. The program allows the teens to continue their education while their siblings are cared for at the daycare center. It also provides a hot meal, a tutor, and a place to study after school. Altogether, these programs now feed 150 preschool children, 60 senior citizens, and 75 teens. Continue reading →

Governor Mifflin Middle School: Reaching Out Across the Miles

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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.”