NEWARK, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, 38 middle and high school teams have been selected as winners of the seventh annual Lead2Feed Challenge. The top 5 teams have each earned a $10,000 grant for their team’s nonprofit of choice. Through the Lead2Feed lessons, the service projects are developed as part of the Lead2Feed Student Leadership Program. Lead2Feed is the nation’s leading and fastest growing privately funded student leadership program. More than 1.5 million students across all 50 states have had the opportunity to grow as leaders through Lead2Feed’s free curriculum.
Lead2Feed’s leadership lessons align with 21st century skills and satisfy Literacy, Social Emotional Learning and Project Based Learning Standards. The lessons utilize a service project to develop students’ leadership and teamwork competencies. The next deadline to enter the Challenge is May 31st.
The Lead2Feed program is inspired by Founder & CEO of oGoLead, Co-Founder, retired Chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands and leadership expert, David Novak, and developed by the Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning and the Lift a Life Foundation. From the projects submitted for the Lead2Feed Challenge, 38 total teams were selected as prize winners, receiving recognition for the dedication and innovation that participating students demonstrated while addressing an important need in their community.
This year’s five grand prize recipient teams are:
- Wantagh Middle School, “EsSCENTial Melts” team, Wantagh, NY — To increase awareness of mental health issues faced by their peers, sixth grade students melted crayons into aromatherapy candles, both raising funds and providing aromatherapy for students to have a restorative break. “I loved witnessing the students’ transformation in attitude and thinking,” teacher Patti Andreolas shared. “When given the opportunity to be leaders, they surprised me in more ways than I could imagine.”
- Mohave High School, FCCLA ECE Chapter, Mohave, AZ — Students organized and implemented a campaign to collect over 1,000 cans of soup for the WOW Mobile Food Pantry. They led preschool students and families through an understanding of sharing and giving while hosting a “Souper Bowl” challenge. “As an early childhood educator, I was inspired by the students’ desire to truly teach young children the importance of giving to others,” teacher Michelle Leyendecker said.
- The Altamont School, “Knights for the World” team, Birmingham, AL — Eight 6th grade students focused on ending homelessness in their community, working with the Firehouse Shelter to build awareness and raise funds. Their objective was to fill a small bus with donations, and they exceeded their goal. “This leadership program is the easiest, most versatile and flexible one I’ve ever encountered,” teacher Katherine Berdy shared. “The students experienced deep, rich learning about a social issue that is closer to them than originally thought.”
- Odessa High School FBLA, Odessa, WA — This team of leaders implemented a campaign to replace all of their town hall’s windows, providing senior citizens in their community a safe place to gather, socialize and stay active. Students exceeded their goal by hosting a variety of events and seeking “window sponsors.” “The most valuable lessons learned by students were to be fearless leaders, set big goals and be confident communicators,” teacher Terri King said.
- Eisenhower High School, “Ike Ignition Mentors” team, Lawton, OK — Working with the Family Promise organization, student mentors set a goal of raising $10,000 to provide resources for peer students who are experiencing homelessness. “Students are starving for a way to put their education to practical use and benefit others,” teacher Michelle Churchwell shared. She is excited and grateful to give her students the opportunity to become active leaders in their community.
This year, Lead2Feed also presented a special “All in Senior Stars” award to the Mercy Academy Senior Class in Louisville, KY.
- Mercy Academy, Louisville, KY — As part of their Senior Capstone curriculum, Mercy Academy seniors divided into six teams to address a variety of issues across their community, including immigration, poverty, abuse and inclusion. Each of these six teams received a $500 charitable grant in recognition of the widespread change they drove in their community. “This class learned they are capable of change and have demonstrated how they will impact their community and the world,” shared educators Kari Sims and Brandon Lewis.
The Lead2Feed Student Leadership Program is also awarding $500 charitable grants based on the outstanding works of the following teams:
- Bagdad Unified School District, “Holiday Helpers” team, Bagdad, AZ
- Basha High School, “Basha Bears” team, Chandler, AZ
- Bridger High School FCCLA, “Cole's Posse 3.0” team, Bridger, MT
- Brownstown Central High School, “Pig Chasers” team, Brownstown, IN
- Bushland High School FCCLA, “Bushland Difference Makers” team, Bushland, TX
- College and Career Academy, “CCA-North FCCLA” team, Villa Rica, GA
- Centerville High School FCCLA, “FCCLA Kindness Campaign (STOP the Violence)” team, Centerville, TX
- Chandler High FCCLA, “Chandler Crusaders” team, Chandler, AZ
- Chandler High FCCLA, “Chandler Education Bandits” team, Chandler, AZ
- ELCO School District, “Change2Conquer Cancer” team, ELCO, PA
- ELCO School District, “Hamburger Helpers” team, ELCO, PA
- Goessel Jr/Sr High School, “Care4Community” team, Gossel, KS
- Grassfield High School, “The incrEDIBLES” team, Grassfield, VA
- Highland Park Middle School, “Girl Up HP” team, University Park, TX
- Jersey Shore Senior High School, “JS FBLA” team, Jersey Shore, PA
- Lee's Summit High School, “Lee's Summit Leaders FBLA” team, Lee’s Summit, MO
- Liberty Middle School, “360 Degrees of Giving” team, Cumming, GA
- Lincoln Junior High School, “Food Finders” team, Bentonville, AR
- Lithia Springs High School Technology Student Association, “Impact” Team, Lithia Springs, GA
- North Atlanta High FBLA & Skills USA, “The Beanies” team, Atlanta, GA
- Pendleton County High School, “Kits4Kids” team, Pendleton, WV
- Port Chester Middle School 6th grade Family and Consumer Science, “Paws For a Cause” team, Port Chester, NY
- Spring Lake Park FCCLA, Spring Lake Park, MN
- St. Paul's Episcopal School, “Vet-Aware” team, Mobile, AL
- Sylvan Hills High School, “Juul Busters” team, Sherwood, AR
- TCHS FCCLA, “Act to Love” team, Lyons, GA
- Wantagh Middle School, “soupRsouls” team, Wantaugh, NY
- Wantagh Middle School, “waste-less DENIM” team, Wantaugh, NY
- Woodrow Wilson High School, “Robs Crew” team, Portsmouth, VA
- Zachary High School FBLA, “ZHS Packers” team, Zachary, LA
“Leadership cannot be measured by traditional academics only,” said David Novak. “Hands-on work with the community is a missing piece of the leadership gap we see in many schools today. Lead2Feed helps close this gap by fostering the development of leadership skills in classrooms and beyond.”
“I am continually moved by the growth I’ve witnessed in our Lead2Feed students,” said Diane Barrett, Executive Director of the Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning, Inc. “Through leading a service project, our students become effective communicators, task managers and collaborators, ultimately gaining leadership skills that will serve them now and in whichever path their future takes them.”
Complete rules and details on the Lead2Feed Challenge are available at: http://www.lead2feed.org/how-to-participate/project-submission-rules/
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About Lead2Feed
The Lead2Feed Student Leadership Program was created by the Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning and the Lift a Life Foundation to encourage middle and high school students to hone leadership skills by completing a service project around a community need involving a public nonprofit.
About Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning
The Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning, a public charity, supports and builds alliances that enhance innovative, instructional programs and community outreach by providing the resources to promote new opportunities and participation. FILL is a supporting foundation to the International Literacy Association. The foundation welcomes participation in efforts to engage, enlighten and inspire today’s students and educators by opening their classrooms to the real world. The Foundation seeks funding from other foundations, private companies and organizations to help provide educational programs for elementary and secondary schools, community colleges and/or programs in specific disciplines or curriculum areas. The Foundation works with interested parties to collaborate on the creation of an educational program that promotes literacy and learning. www.fillprograms.org
About Lift a Life Foundation
The Lift a Life Foundation was established in 1999 by David and Wendy Novak. The mission of the Lift a Life Foundation is to lead the way with innovative programs that help people in need and develop future leaders. The Foundation focuses on creative partnerships that make a lasting impact in the primary areas of hunger relief, early childhood education, juvenile diabetes, military family support and leadership development. Since Lift a Life Foundation began, it has helped thousands of people in need through grants and programming support. David Novak is the Co-Founder, retired Chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands, one of the world’s largest restaurant companies with nearly 43,500 KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurants in more than 135 countries and territories. A renowned expert on leadership and recognition culture, Novak is the author of three highly respected and critically acclaimed books, The Education of an Accidental CEO, the New York Times bestseller Taking People With You as well as his latest parable, O Great One! A Little Story About The Awesome Power of Recognition. David has been recognized as “2012 CEO of the Year” by Chief Executive magazine, one of the world’s “30 Best CEOs” by Barron’s, one of the “Top People in Business” by FORTUNE and one of the “100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World” by Harvard Business Review. In April 2015, he received the prestigious 2015 Horatio Alger Award for his commitment to philanthropy and higher education and became a lifetime member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. He is the recipient of the 2012 UN World Food Program Leadership Award for Yum! Brands World Hunger Relief effort that raises awareness, volunteerism and funds to address this global problem. He received the national 2008 Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship. David is the Founder and CEO of oGo Lead, a digital leadership development platform he created to help people become better leaders by teaching virtual Heartwiring TM and Hardwiring TM skills. Wendy Novak is a lifelong philanthropist and volunteer. She serves on the advisory board for the Wendy Novak Diabetes Care Center.
