Students study philanthropy, develop projects

By D. Aileen Dodd

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For some kids, charity begins at school.

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Phil Skinner, AJC Westminster student Cici Reid (left) reads to 7-year-old Amanda Davis II as Elle Oser (from Lovett) watches in the Reading Corner at Eden Village 1. The two students worked with their mothers and the National Charity League of Buckhead to build, stock and open the library at the village which is part of the City of Refuge, a transitional living and training center for women in crisis in Atlanta.

Students learn to be philanthropic – to give of their time, talents and treasures just as they are taught to master concepts in math and science. The message is being shared at both public and private schools across metro Atlanta.

Recently, at Norcross High, a school with an international focus on academics and culture, students on a flex period brainstormed ideas that took them off campus and into their communities to help their neighbors. Some of the community service projects are still helping others over summer break.

At Westminster Schools, a summer school philanthropy class is taking 12 teens on a journey behind the fund-raising scenes of major metro area charities so they can explore the nonprofit industry. Their investigation comes with a payday – teens get a $1,200 stipend to split with a charity of their choice.

On Saturday, two Norcross High students took their first community art school classes at the Spruill Center in Dunwoody, compliments of Melissa Swope. The rising junior raised $1,000 to provide art scholarships for her peers because she saw a need in her community for more educational opportunities allowing students to express their creativity.

“I like art, it’s something I want to do when I get out of high school,” said Laura Hernandez of Norcross. But taking classes outside of public school would not be possible without the scholarship. “I don’t have the money.”

Swope, who makes pottery, launched a community service project from scratch to raise money to offer summer art scholarships for students at Norcross High. Along the way, she developed her talent as an artist and her leadership skills.

“I’ve been doing pottery a really long time – it’s a lot of organizing yourself,” she said. “I love how the clay feels and the excitement of seeing the pottery when it comes out. That mental organization helps me with school work and academics. I wanted to share that experience with other students.”

Swope spent 12-hour days at Spruill Center for the Arts in Dunwoody making a selection of pottery to sell in a mobile art booth. She also developed a flier advertising her fund-raiser, a price point for her art and a pitch for administrators so she could persuade them to allow her to sell at school.

“Actually going to the principal’s office and expressing herself made her become more confident,” said her mother, Elket Swope, of Norcross. “She had to interact more with adults. She learned to sell. People saw her work and placed orders. It took her by surprise. It wasn’t just a theory. She was selling pottery and raising money.”

Another student in her class, Kyle Ahrens, filled another void for low-cost heart screenings he saw in his community. News of a 14-year-old student athlete, who died with an undiagnosed heart condition, prompted the rising junior to organize free-and-reduced price heart screenings at his school. Ahrens contacted Heart Screens for Teens to provide a mobile unit for his school in early spring. About 70 people came for the echocardiograms, three of whom learned they had irregularities and needed to see their family physicians.

"Sudden cardiac death is a disease a lot of people don’t know a single thing about, " said Ahrens, whose mother is a nurse practitioner at DeKalb Medical Center. "They have to be screened. A life can be taken away without warning."

While at Piedmont Hospital, teens from Westminster got some insider tips on being gracious when donors give.

“When people make a gift, you acknowledge it with a thank you letter," said James Gates, who works in philanthropy at Piedmont. “We send birthday cards … We ask our donors when they are in the hospital let us know so we can visit them … It’s the little touches.”

Students study local charities to determine where they will donate the stipend they receive for taking the class, which is made possible by an endowment from The Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Institute for Philanthropy and Service Learning.

“One kid gave his $500 and then got his parent to match it,” said Sally Finch, a co-teacher of Philanthropy 101, and an economics teacher at Westminster. “We have had two students get full-scholarships to Vanderbilt as a result of this class, it’s a service-oriented award for kids really involved in their communities.”