The Workcamp Pre-Work

by Dalton Bui

Seeing the school for the first time, I can’t help but notice the SEEDS team’s work on our Beating the Odds Casino Night Gala in every aspect of the school. Hayley’s beautiful save-the-date invited the donors who funded the playground. Kory’s relentless recruitment of raffle donors enticed guests to buy raffle tickets that built the restrooms. Ethan’s precise stage direction created a seamless event that brought back repeat attendees to build the roof. Kobe’s expert bookkeeping made sure that the money went where it needed to go, including the computer lab. Although many other SEEDS officers and volunteers could not make this year’s Work Camp, their commitment to our mission built the windows, doors, sinks, chairs, tables, blackboards, and more.

SEEDS stands for Students Expanding Education by Donating Services, and we serve as Sunflower Mission’s youth board. In the past few years, we have expanded our capabilities exponentially. We lead the Beating the Odds gala, which raised over $400K last fall. In the spring, we run the Strides for Schools Virtual Runathon, which raised over $25k this year. In between these events, we organize English Initiative, a virtual English mentorship program for our university scholarship recipients.

While planning these events, it’s easy to forget the “why” in all the work. But my first day back at Work Camp in 6 years is a strong reminder that the work was worth it. We enabled the construction of not only a school—but also hopes, dreams, and brighter futures.