Given three “impact projects” to serve the community, the Leader Academy at Walton kicked off the assignments by hosting a softball game at Walton High School to raise money for a local charity.
Held on April 21, the softball game drew a crowd of over 60 people who helped raise $3,000 for The Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit dedicated to serving veterans and service members who have incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound, co-incident to their military service on or after Sept. 11, 2001 and their families.
“With the spring season, we thought a softball game would be a fun way for the community to get involved and to raise money for the cause,” said Quinn Marshall, one of the students in Leader Academy. The game pitted the Marines versus the Army, along with a serviceman from the Navy.
Leader Academy at Walton is a part of the ADDO Institute. ADDO, Latin for “inspire,” was founded by University of Georgia alumni Kevin Scott and Garrett Gravesen. “Leader Academy utilizes high energy events, coupled with a monthly curriculum, to inspire students to make impact,” said Scott, who is originally from Kennesaw. “The goal is simply to inspire students today to make impact tomorrow. Through a unique project-based approach, students not only learn lessons, but apply them to projects that make a difference.”
For Walton High School, the three projects included, “a fundraiser for the troops, special needs kids, and activity for world hunger,” added Marshall.
Teacher Matthew Staruch, the faculty supervisor for this event, added, “This whole event was student-led from developing the idea to seeing it come to life. To see the community support and raising a great amount of money for a local charity is an incredible accomplishment.”
Completing its impact projects, Leader Academy at Walton hosted a food packing event to combat world hunger this past Sunday; and, on April 20, it hosted a carnival for special needs children, which was attended by 250 members of the community.
Leader Academies are currently pilot programs at Walton High School, Osborne High School and Kennesaw Mountain High School. ADDO Institute, founded in 2012, has worked with leaders on six continents and in over 100 countries.
Scott added, “In the end, we want to engage high school students in a relevant way by exposing them to timeless leadership principles, and equip them to continually impact their campuses and communities.”
In other news: The 12th annual Pink Affair was held at the Country Club of the South on March 9 benefiting Turning Point Women's Healthcare, a non-profit healthcare organization that was established in 2003 in response to the unmet survivorship needs of women with breast cancer in Greater Atlanta. In 12 years, the Pink Affair has raised nearly $350,000 to support TurningPoint's financial assistance program, complimentary services and education programs, and local and national advocacy efforts to make rehabilitation and exercise part of every woman's breast cancer journey.
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