On Friday, November 2, the Blake Upper School had the privilege of meeting Marc Kielburger and understanding the importance of service on both a local and international level. Kielburger co-founded Free the Children in 1995, along with his 12-year-old brother, Craig. The project was inspired by Craig’s travel abroad to understand the struggles of children his age, who were exploited for their labor. The Kielburgers reached out to help hear these children’s voices through an education in places like Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya, Ecuador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Rural China, and India.  Today, the Kielburgers’ work has inspired more than 1.7 million youth to participate in FTC’s development programs worldwide. Kielburger spoke of the power of finding any one task that you’re passionate about, and use it to serve the greater community.

Blake’s Free the Children chapter raised over $1,000 on Friday to fund a school to be built in India. Kelsey Hayes ’13, Raine Robichaud ’14, Kelsey Meyers ’13, Sully Whitely ’14, Eva Duckler ’14, and Tara Karki ’14, all helped organize the event and sell baked goods and shirts that read, “This Shirt Helped Build a School.” Their successes showed that a table of brownies and a stack of tee-shirts can help not only raise awareness of the incredible education and opportunities we receive at Blake, but more importantly, the small steps we can take to make a big impact for children our own age who aren’t able to access these same opportunities.

Kielburger shared his story with the Blake community to inspire individuals to take action in ways that help you benefit from service, and do good for communities that are barred from the right to an education.