Overlake School parents are helping to make a difference with buildOn — an international nonprofit organization that focuses on the power of service and education to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and low expectations.

The Seattle chapter of buildOn recently hosted an auction and dinner at Willows Lodge in Woodinville that featured buildOn founder and CEO, Jim Ziolkowski. The dinner successfully fundraised for the construction of three schools in Nepal this year.

The Seattle chapter is self organized and works to raise awareness and fundraise. President of the Seattle chapter, Randi Hedin, is on the national board of directors and “about to physically build her ninth school,” explained Ziolkowski. Hedin is also an Overlake parent, and is influential in raising awareness within her community and responsible for the high participation from the Overlake community.

JK Schatzman, a Redmond resident and an Overlake parent, who was in charge of the silent auction component of the event, was first introduced to the buildOn organization through Hedin. She explained that her involvement with buildOn is a “stimulating way for (her) to give back to the community.”

“We’re obviously building schools, but the other component is (that we) bring in students and the local communities to be a part of it,” Schatzman continued, “it’s a unique and a more involved component as opposed to sending money somewhere. The lessons that these students learn are incredible.”

The Kummerts, also an Overlake school family, spoke about their experience of going abroad and helping build a school for a week. They sponsored a school abroad by independently raising money for the school construction.

“It’s like a different world,” Pam Kummert revealed, “It’s so clichéd, but (the experience) was life-changing.”

“We’re working to address the education crisis in the United States and globally,” Ziolkowski explained. “Every 26 seconds, somebody in an urban high school drops out,” and the buildOn organization seeks to change this reality through the power of service. This year, the organization is mobilizing 4,000 urban youth to contribute more than 300,000 hours of service. “We are motivating these kids to mobilize their communities to change,” continued Ziolkowski.

Ziolkowski’s passion for the power of education and service began during his yearlong hitchhiking and backpacking trip around the world in the 1980s, when he was first exposed to extreme poverty. In Nepal, as he was trekking in the mountains, he witnessed a two-day celebration of a school opening and “the seed was planted there” for the value of education.

Upon returning to the U.S., “I saw poverty in the U.S. much differently (and) I lived in Harlem for three years because I did not feel qualified to mobilize urban youth from such a distant perspective,” Ziolkowski explained.

“It’s all about service and service learning,” Ziolkowski described. The domestic program focuses on afterschool service learning programs in challenged schools, motivating students to “study their communities and decide how to take action in terms of service.”

BuildOn, through its local chapters, also provides mentoring and leadership systems, and funds 12 of the school students to travel abroad and participate in building a school.

It costs around $32,000 to build a school abroad on average, and “we have built 784 worldwide,” Ziolkowski proudly revealed.

The event also featured musical performance from the orchestra students as well as student volunteers from The Overlake School.

For more information, visit www.buildOn.org.

Rachel Lee is a senior at The Overlake School in Redmond.