Book Contest Winner Heads to Malawi!

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The winners are in! Kelly Wulff and her mom are going to Malawi! During last year’s “Walk in Their Shoes Book Contest,” every pledge to buy a book earned a chance to win the grand prize of 2 spots on one of our treks to Malawi to help build a school. Kelly and her mother have been long-time Bay Area buildOn supporters and we’re happy they’ve won!

Here’s what Kelly Wulff had to say about her upcoming trek with buildOn:

1. How did you and your family first become involved with buildOn?

A coworker of mine invited me to an extremely inspirational presentation given by a buildOn staff member. I saw buildOn as an opportunity to act and support locally, and have an impact globally, and I knew I had to get involved. I started by taking my parents to buildOn dinners in the Bay Area and it was my mom who entered us in the contest!

2. Why do you think supporting education here in the U.S. and abroad is so critical?

Despite all of the opportunities available to many people in the U.S., there are still parts of the nation that are critically underserved. Supporting education and afterschool programs gives students something to do in the afternoons and weekends; something that gives them confidence and purpose and can help them avoid negative influences. Engaging entire communities the way buildOn does, helps build a sense of shared pride and ownership.

3. How did you feel when you found out you won the contest?

Honestly, at first I was just relieved everything was OK with my mother since she’d called me over and over while I was in a meeting! Once I processed what she was saying, I was shocked and immediately felt so lucky to have the opportunity to see buildOn’s international work.

4. What are you most excited about for your trip?

I love to explore new places. And when traveling, I love to spend time with the local people and immerse myself in the community – this is what I’m looking forward to most in Malawi. It’ll be very exciting to live with and work alongside the people of the community as we build a new school!

5.  The subtitle of Walk in Their Shoes is Can One Person Change the World? What do you think?

My gut reaction is, of course one person can change the world. Because we do. Every single day. But I especially like to celebrate those who focus their thoughts and actions into catalyzing meaningful change in the people and world around them. Once we learn more about our communities near and far, we realize that our little every day actions can develop into opportunities to join in and serve in small and big, but always meaningful and impactful ways.

Haven’t had a chance to read Walk in Their Shoes? You can order it from Amazon!