Community April 3, 2013

WOW- Local Students

Make a Positive Difference
WOW-Students is based on a simple premise: generosity is a key component to the foundation of a strong community and learning that component needs to start at a young age. To help fulfill this goal, the locally based WOW-Students organization has coordinated with 4,000 Blaine County students and 125 non-profits to design experiences that show the power of giving.  

 "As the students are exposed to the breadth of services provided by our community’s non-profits they learn how those services impact the lives in our community. We believe that if children are empowered with the opportunity to be generous, they can change the world,” said Morley Golden, president of WOW-Students.

Wow students

$5,500 was raised for Expedition Inspiration with these decorated clay pots with amaryllis.

 

Blaine County students have really embraced the WOW projects. A Wood River Middle School team designed a complete semester curriculum around their WOW project. They created presentations describing the non-profits they researched; purchased and decorated clay pots, planted them with amaryllis and sold them, raising $5,500 for “Expedition Inspiration,” which funds breast cancer research. 

Out of 110 participants, 7th grader Sammy Black made the winning pitch for the project that supported Expedition Inspiration. He really enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to others. "I love the feeling you get when you know that you helped someone or did the right thing,” he said. “This project made me proud. It made me feel like I can actually make a difference in this world.”

Brad Stansberry is a 5th grade teacher at Hemingway Elementary and has seen the positive impact WOW-Students has had. "I think it gave the kids real ownership and let them see how just a little bit of their time (and money) can make a real difference in people's lives," he said.

WOW-Students encourages the community to get involved: wow-students.org.

 

 

 

This article appears in the Issue of Sun Valley Magazine.