[Editor's note: I asked Sara Velimirović, a Serbian high school student visiting Louisville as part of an exchange program, to send me information about a charitable project she and nine other Serbian students are spearheading to benefit our community. Her information was so thorough and well written that I saw no point in adding anything to it.]
Did you know that feeding a hungry child during weekends for a whole school year only costs $80? You can help by donating only $0.80. The community of St. Francis of Assisi elementary school and other Louisville residents can assist hungry children to learn better and have happier and safer lives by donating just $0.80 on Oct. 1 at the school's cafeteria (1938 Alfresco Pl.). Become a part of the Power of 80!
The Power of 80 is an action developed by 10 Serbian high school students, who came to spend a month in the United States, learning leadership skills through U.S. community programs. They chose to engage in the Blessings in a Backpack program that feeds more than 30,000 children across the United States. Research shows that hungry children don't learn well and that there are around 12 million kids at risk of hunger in the United States.
Where is your next meal coming from?
Donate $0.80 on October 1st!
About Serbia Youth Leadership Program participants
We are a group of young adults from Serbia, participants in the Serbia Youth Leadership Program. We are spending a month in the United States as exchange students and are here to learn new leadership and team work skills that we can apply on projects when we go back to our communities.
We have spent no longer than 15 days together, without knowing each other beforehand, and have already had some beautiful experiences and lifelong memories from Vermont, our first stop in the United States.
Here in Louisville we are meeting a new challenge. Incredible people from the World Affairs Council have designed our schedule for next two weeks are working with us on a public relations campaign called The Power of 80. It helps hungry kids from schools in your community throughout the school year. We are grateful to have been given a chance to learn fantastic skills from experienced people and at the same time help for those who need it.
We will bring a lot of new impressions, stories and skills to Washington, DC where we will be going at the end of the program. During these two weeks, we are all given a task of writing an "I Have a Dream" speech that we will read at the Lincoln Memorial. This project is not only going to be an inspiration for our "homework" but also a step closer to a change we all want to see in ourselves and in Serbia.
Photo: Courtesy Serbia Youth Leadership Program
