Penn State Fundraises to Sponsor SEGA Students

Development Interns from Penn State Raise Funds for SEGA Student Scholarships

By Sarah Kidder

Only a few short months ago, I sat along side my fellow Penn State development interns, listening to a presentation by Tracey Dolan, co-founder of Nurturing Minds. Through this internship, we had the opportunity to meet with several non-profit leaders, including Tracey and other development professionals. But it was the mission of Nurturing Minds and the bright, young girls of the SEGA Girls School that immediately inspired us to get involved.

After Tracey’s presentation, we full-heartedly decided to continue the efforts of last year’s intern cohort in sponsoring a student’s remaining time at SEGA. We knew we could raise the money to ensure Grace finished her last two years, but we hoped to go above and beyond by starting the sponsorship of another student. Through creating an email campaign that was sent to over 500 people and holding a unit “Penny Wars” competition, we were able to raise over $1,500 in just two months! When we reached our goal, the hours spent rolling hundreds of dollars’ worth of pennies, sending out countless emails and spamming our Facebook feeds with SEGA news proved to be more than worth it. Our hope is that through sponsoring Grace, we can create a ripple effect where she can inspire others to follow their dreams, work hard, and feel empowered to receive an education. And with the little bit of extra money raised, we hope to contribute to the likelihood that others can follow in Grace’s footsteps.

After visiting Tanzania myself, I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that we are changing the outcome of a girl’s life in such a positive way. That is something I wouldn’t mind doing for the rest of my life.

I hope the impact these girls have left on me and my fellow peers will also touch your heart and remind you how lucky we are to have something so important, yet often taken for granted – an education.