SPARK a Change Chapter Award Winners

In accordance with our first annual SPARK Month, more than 100 SPARK events were held by Golden Key chapters around the world. Chapters that participated could apply to win an award for the best service initiatives. Today, we’re excited to announce those winners!
The first place winner ($500 USD) is the chapter at The University of Florida!
Two chapters tied for second place ($300 USD): the University of Virgin Islands – St. Thomas and the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez.
And finally, third place ($200 USD) goes to the Ashford University chapter.

Congratulations to the winning chapters!

The University of Florida chapter set up a tutoring program for a local high school. About 20 students came to each session and receive help on homework assignments, basic course concepts and test taking skills. The GK members went from Monday to Thursday every week in October – a huge time commitment and dedication!
The University of Virgin Islands – St. Thomas chapter provided a mentorship experience for 6th grade students. The male session was titled “From Boys to Men Mentorship Experience” and focused on self-empowerment. It included interactive discussions, activities, a speaker and an appearance by a professional boxer named Julius Jackson. The female session, called “Queens’ Court,” focused on building self-esteem. Members with training in pageantry and professional etiquette served as guest speakers and there were several activities for participants.
The University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez chapter‘s event was called “Hands On!” which had a goal of impacting the lives of at-risk youth through practical multidisciplinary education and real-world preparedness. They partnered with student associations, representatives from companies and alumni to provide an all-day event aimed for kids ages 10-17. Fifteen kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Mayaguez and public schools of the Mayaguez area were given the opportunity to learn more about the different educational programs at their university as well as participate in several activities focused on team building, leadership and academics.
The Ashford University chapter met three times during October with at-risk youth at a local elementary school. On the first visit, they supplied the children with banks, discussed with them about saving money and challenged them to collect soda pop cans to earn money. On the second visit, they worked with the children on computer skills. Both of these visits helped to provide them for the real world. And, on the third visit, they worked on math and team building skills by playing a giant homemade Jinga game. The children counted the blocks together and also strategized. They used cooperation, self-control and patience to complete the game. The game helped to instill in them skills needed for school life and work life. And, they raised over $335.73 towards SPARK a Change.