Today is Saturday, February 11, 2012
Today is Saturday, February 11, 2012
The One Dollar For Life (ODFL) club was recently recognized with two honors for its work, receiving praise in an international contest sponsored by the Peace Corps and an award for Outstanding Youth Philanthropy by the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).
Africa Rural Connect sponsored by the Peace Corps in a contest to which Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) submit plans of agricultural self-sufficiency in Africa. ODFL’s NGO partner, Sustainable Environment and Agriculture Network (SEANet) International, submitted a plan that won on Thursday, October 15.
The plan, entitled Electronic Agriculture in Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands, will receive $20,000 from the Peace Corps.
The plan will use conservation agricultural and water methods in order to raise crops and livestock for schools in the dry regions of Kenya.
ODFL will receive international recognition due to the contest, as it will be covered by BusinessWeek and US News and World Report.
“It’s a really big step for us,” ODFL President senior Diana Chou said. “It gives us a better shot at successful fundraisers and … nearer to our goal of one thousand schools built a year.”
ODFL also received an award from the AFP, among a pool of other local youth philanthropy organizations.
“The selection of ODFL was an easy decision for the panel,” AFP executive Debra Jones said. “We were impressed by how far-reaching the project has become in such a short period of time.”
Among other project, ODFL has built schools in Nicaragua, sent bicycles to Africa in its “Wheels of Wonder” drive, and purchased two cows for an orphanage in Nepal.
“The [AFP] Youth Award is very prestigious,” ODFL adviser Robert Freeman said. “The people who run this association are the leaders, the crème, of people who run foundations.”
The club hopes that recognition will help them spread ODFL’s influence in America.
“We’re trying to get 23 million students [in America] to donate a dollar, but the process … is so realistic [now],” Diana said.
With these honors, Freeman believes that accomplishing ODFL’s goal will be easier.
“It gives us that gold star, the acceptance that says that we can do this and have done it,” Freeman said. “It will help us grow and do more and bigger projects with more groups.”
In its annual school drive, ODFL raised $2158.20, exceeding prior years’ totals. The drive broke ODFL’s goal of $1700 for this year. This year’s funds will go to construct a school in Kenya.
