Nicholas Wu and Dylan Goitz of University of Liggett High School, with one of the jars they made to collect change for Education Plus
Volunteer Spotlight – Nicholas Wu and Dylan Goitz
Nicholas Wu and Dylan Goitz, both 17, are currently juniors at University Liggett High School in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. Nicholas and Dylan became involved with Education Plus after hearing Executive Director Monica Loveley come speak to the school about her work with the children. Learning about Education Plus and the children of Pantanal inspired Nicholas and Dylan to make a difference in a very real way.
After a brief preliminary meeting with Monica, Nicholas and Dylan struck out on their own, leading several different initiatives to fundraise for Education Plus. The first was to set aside half of the profits from the school dance for Education Plus. Next, they dedicated a paid dress-down day to Education Plus, and set up a donation bin in the main lobby of the school. With these initiatives, Dylan and Nicholas managed to raise $800 in just over a month!
Nicholas says:
When Monica came and spoke at Liggett, I felt inspired to go and make a difference in the world. Given all of the death and destruction in our world, I wanted to do something that would help people who were in dire need of assistance. I think that education is a fundamental right that should not be deferred for any child, so this was the perfect way for me to get involved in that field. I got a few people together who interested in helping, and we decided to start a fundraising campaign for Education Plus. With the money we raised, I hope that Education Plus can help break the poverty trap for the Nicaraguan children it helps, helping them to achieve a better life. My experience with Education Plus has been an overwhelmingly positive one, helping me to give back to the world as thanks for all of the opportunities with which I have been endowed. For this work with Education Plus, I am immensely grateful.
Dylan adds:
I got involved because I value children’s education because it is the only way to escape poverty.
Nicholas is involved in the Civic Orchestra in downtown Detroit as well as the Liggett debate team. He hopes to study something related to policy in college. Dylan loves the sport of rowing and wishes to study engineering in college.
Thank you Dylan and Nicholas for your hard work, for spearheading these initiatives, and for caring about the future of the children of Pantanal. You can be sure that the funds you raise will go a long long way towards helping us make sure that the children are fed, educated, and provided with school supplies!!
