Students decide to Pay It Forward
By GUNNAR OLSON
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Many a high school graduate will remember homeroom, that period when a teacher takes attendance or makes announcements.
At Ankeny High School that concept has given way to advisory groups, which go beyond exchanging information to trying to make the world a better place.
One group's slogan: Pay It Forward.
In the past seven or so years students have worked with United Way, served food at soup kitchens and collected winter clothing for children.
This year, a handful of students are stretching the reach of their volunteering across the globe.
Eight students teamed up with biology and chemistry teacher Chad Fickbohm to offer a small loan to an as-yet-undetermined business in a faraway place such as Cambodia.
"Not to say that things around here aren't important," Fickbohm said, "but the kids really wanted to do something different."
The eight students each chipped in $5 and Fickbohm $10 so they could make a loan of $50.
Such microloans, as they are called, are made possible through Web sites such as Kiva.org, which gives potential lenders the profiles of poor entrepreneurs. A family in Pakistan recently asked for a loan of $350 to buy a diary cow. A group of people in Peru asked for nearly $4,000 to start a general store.
Loans can be made in $25 increments and are repaid with interest.
Admissions officers like to see volunteering on a student's college application, said Tom Delahunt, vice president of admissions at Drake University. However, admissions officers look at how much volunteering they do beyond what their high schools require.
"We try to look for people who have gone over and above the hour requirement put on them," he said. "Those are the students who are really engaged."
At the same time, he said those high schools that require volunteering benefit society by introducing students to community service.
One of the students in Fickbohm's group, junior Rachel Purdy, 17, said the group wanted to loan their money to an entrepreneur whose business would support his or her children's education.
"I like it because you can actually see that it's helping people," she said. "It's not just focused on, like, your community around you. It's helping the world."
When the loan is repaid with interest, the money will be reinvested in another business, said Fickbohm, who took his inspiration for the project from his involvement with the World Food Prize. He also hopes more students will get involved.
"You look at the potential: there's 1,500 students here," he said. "If each student gave a buck ... it could have a huge impact."
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