We buildOn: buildOn Southeast Raises Money for School in Haiti

We get a lot done when we combine our efforts. Most people don’t know that we have several groups of people and individuals raising money to fund our Global School Construction initiatives and buildOn Afterschool. Depending on the campaign goal, every dollar raised goes directly to sending students to build schools, materials to build classrooms, literacy classes, and educating buildOn members through service and service learning. Each month we’ll profile one of the many campaigns on our fundraising platform, We buildOn, that are committed to making a difference in the communities where we work overseas and in the United States.

This week we interviewed Nick Bollier, the group organizer for the buildOn Southeast chapter, a group in Charlotte, North Carolina this is raising money to build a school in Haiti.

The Goal

We’re extremely excited to be close to raising the $35,000 needed to build the school. The overall funding raising goal is $45,000, which supports an 18-month adult education program sponsored by buildOn. The trip to build the school will likely be scheduled for November 17 to 23, and at least for the next several weeks.

Funding the Campaign

My family and I started the campaign this past Thanksgiving. We’ve each contributed to raising funds, but since I am the only one traveling to Haiti, we thought it’d be fun to invite anyone interested in traveling to Haiti as a volunteer. So far, two others have joined the trek, which is being scheduled for the third week of November. It’s a happy coincidence that the project is coming full circle this Thanksgiving.

Why Build a School?

I first learned about buildOn while searching on Charity Navigator, and was impressed with how 90 percent of all funds are applied to program expenses. I also liked how volunteers are able participate with building a school through the Ambassador Trek Program. Later, I learned about the methodology for building schools and all the afterschool programs here in the U.S. It made the decision to partner with buildOn an easy one. The idea of building a school in a rural village became much less abstract when speaking with Skyler Badenoch (buildOn’s Development Director, East Coast). Having traveled to Haiti a number of times with buildOn, Skyler helped to make the connection between building the school and the families living in rural villages. So, hearing about his experiences played the biggest part in deciding to build the school in Haiti. Skyler has shared a number of pictures from his travel in Haiti, which along with materials from buildOn have given us a kind of preview of the trek. Other than that, everyone is really looking forward to experiencing what building a school in a rural Haitian village is all about.

Interested in joining the trek? Contact Nick Bollier.