8 Inspiring Student-Led Philanthropic Acts Of 2014

In honor of #GivingTuesday, coming up on Dec. 2nd, we are giving a shoutout to the top student-led charitable efforts that have inspired us so far this year.

1. Student At Kate Collins Middle School Donates The Magic Of Books To Preschoolers

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After placing 12th in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, eighth grader Sam Pereles decided to use some of his winnings to inspire and teach students younger than him. He purchased and built a Little Free Library kit and placed it on the steps of Wayne Hills Preschool. Little Free Libraries are tiny wooden libraries, left unlocked for anyone to borrow a book. Reading at a young age propelled Sam's interest in spelling and he wanted to help bring the magic of reading, and the importance of literacy, to other young students. They've been happily grabbing books since the library opened last week!

2. Graham Middle School Students Brought The #ALSIceBucketChallenge Challenge To A New Level

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The #ALSIceBucketChallenge was an inspiring charitable movement that swept the country by storm. But students at Graham Middle School didn’t think it was enough to just do their own video and challenge the next individual. Instead, they got the whole school involved by making all of the teachers take the plunge in front of the entire student body after school, last August!

3. Guntersville High School Football Team Helps Out The Town That Supports Them

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Guntersville High School doesn’t just have a winning football team, they have a generous football team. This year the Wildcats created a program called Wildcats Work, where members of the team volunteer around the community every week. These projects include picking up trash or helping the horticulture department.

4. Westborough High School Students Show Their Love For Veterans

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On a cold November morning, a dozen members of the National Honor Society at Westborough High School went to remove American flags from veteran’s graves. This is usually done after Veterans Day, every year, by the local veteran’s organization. This year the students decided to get involved and removed over 100 flags to be properly disposed of by the town.

5. Coon Rapids High School Students Helps Out Youth Statewide

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Sophomore, Essence Blakemore has been a member of the Minnesota Youth Council Education Committee for 3 years. Last year she helped craft and pass a bill to make the council an official liaison to the Governor's office and legislature, enabling the youth to have the ear of the Governor. Recently, Essence helped the Minnesota Department of Education secure grant money for all districts across Minnesota to use on after-school programs.

Her efforts have inspired other students and now one of her classmate's, sophomore, Michelle Onyekaba, has joined the council. Michelle serves on the philanthropy committee, working with programs like "The Bridge For Youth," a non profit that assists homeless families and youth.

6. The University of Texas @ Austin's Schools Challenge Each Other To Give Back

giving.utexas.edu / Via giving.utexas.edu

This year UT's Students Hooked on Texas conducted a campaign in the colleges and schools to raise awareness on the importance of student giving. The McCombs Business School students responded with six campaigns of their own! One of them, the Business Honors Program Make-A-Mark Campaign, successfully raised over $25,000 in contributions for the University's Annual Giving program for students. Without UT's Annual Giving Program, many scholarship students would not be able to attend the university.

The School of Information found another way to make a difference and challenged students to give back by volunteering in the community at places such as the Austin Public Library, area elementary schools, the Texas State Archives, and the Dell Children’s Medical Center. In all, iSchool students volunteered 1,687 hours to the community!

7. University of Alabama Students Help Community Sign Up For Health Care

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A senior at the Honors College, Marlan Golden is no stranger to volunteer work. He is a part of Big Brother and runs an education project for local Latinos, all while being president of his fraternity. Last March, he took his efforts even further, working to get uninsured individuals signed up for health care. He succeeded in signing up many people, including his fraternity’s kitchen and housekeeping staff. He would spend up to an hour and a half with each person setting up their profile, walking them through the long list of questions about income and health habits, and going over the various coverage options. Marlan Golden is one of about 600 student volunteers from colleges around Alabama who helped individuals sign up for health care.

8. Georgia State Students’ Hunger and Homelessness Week

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For the 3rd year, Georgia State students came together for Hunger and Homelessness Week (Nov. 10th - 14th). Students slept outside to create awareness around being homeless and campus organizations gathered barrels of quality, nutritious, non perishable food items. They will be continuing to accept food donations through Dec. 3rd. All goods will be donated to the Salvation Army.

Want to do your part as a student and participate in #GivingTuesday?! Create your own online fundraiser for an organization or cause you care about and GIVE BACK. Learn how here.

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