Local students build a library for La Causa

Posted: March 1, 2010

Nine students from Wisconsin Lutheran College are spending 30 days of their spring semester taking part in the 2010 Kapco Charitable Challenge. These members of Team Effect are balancing classes, internships, and jobs while making an impact in the Milwaukee area.

Team Effect, which includes Wauwatosa East High School graduate Hillary Gardner and Nathan Hale graduate James Sather, have worked with La Causa in Milwaukee, collecting clothes, food, and personal care products for La Causa's Crisis Nursery. The group also gathered nearly 3,800 books for a new library in La Causa's Early Education and Care Center. The students painted and furnished the library, filling the shelves with books.

The Kapco Charitable Challenge began in January, with 15 student groups from Wisconsin Lutheran College, Concordia University Wisconsin, and Marquette University each receiving $1,000 from the Challenge’s sponsor, Kapco Metal Stamping president Jim Kacmarcik.

In the Challenge’s first round, each group was given 20 days to use all the money, either by giving it away or by using it creatively to make an even bigger contribution. Wisconsin Lutheran’s Team Effect advanced to the second round, which ends March 4. In the 10-day second round, one team from each school received $2,000 to continue their mission. Each team has been paired with a local child who is fighting cancer and are mentoring a group of high school students about giving to the community. They also are performing random acts of kindness.

Team Effect appeared on The Morning Blend on Today’s TMJ4 (http://www.themorningblend.com/NewsArticle/tabid/1474/xmid/41897/Default.aspx) on February 26 to share its mission: To effectively contribute our time and effort to make an impact on our future generations, while embracing cultural diversity. Don't underestimate what one person can do. The smallest acts make the biggest impacts.

To learn more, visit http://www.wlc.edu/CharitableChallenge/.