“The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The work of life is to develop it. The meaning of life is to give your gift away.” – Dr. David Viscott

The market is a challenging place to sell your products as any business knows. But the marketplace is also an incredible source of learning when combined with service. The challenge with service learning creates an environment of possibilities where individuals can hone skills, innovate and learn. Different levels of networking build during this process with new ideas emerging when working with diverse cultural, geographic, socioeconomic and intellectual groups.

Over the years of while mentoring youth at Chess Without Borders and now at the Peter Wulff Center on different service learning projects unique possibilities opened up regularly raising $314,050.00 for local and global charities since 2000.

Over the years it was apparent that ideas incubated inadvertently while working together but on further examination a deeper characteristic of service learning seems is to stimulate natural creativity, improvisation and innovation into the thinking process. The driver of these traits is the fierce motivation children acquire to achieve success because of the difference they feel they can make. The rewards for helping others is more gratifying and fulfilling as 12 year old Ethan Gagliano said once, " I feel like doing more when I do this for others". (Ethan was cleaning up after a fundraiser and he said this after him mom remarked that she wished he did this at home) !

Another example of the interaction of social entrepreneurship and innovation was how 2 young teenagers who raised funds for a roof for an orphanage in Southern India. Prashant and Pranav Ramachandran were visiting their grandparents home in Southern India when they visited an orphanage next door in order to distribute chess sets. As they were teaching chess they noticed the roof of the orphanage was leaking. The teachers there said this was because there were no funds to fix the roof. Determined to help they returned home to the States and raised $700 to repair the roof. Just as important was the educational value of this enterprise because these teenagers learned that the orphanage was hosting child victims of the Sri Lankan civil war and they shared this knowledge with the team. Similarly, 10 year old social entrepreneur Jack Weed raised funds for a Christmas lunch families of ex prisoner's in Chicago. While distributing gifts and 2nd hand winter clothes he saw how little these children had and how a meal meant so much to them. The following year Jack collected more items to distribute as his presence among the families developed his understanding.

This simple act of intellectual curiosity, leadership, determination and care was propelled by their education in service learning and the interaction with marketing, public relations, networking and team work. There are many other examples of students developing their talents or skills in unexpected ways.

Currently 11 year old Jack Weed and 12 year old Krish Nara work in a team as Project Managers for food charities. They sell items that artists create such as "Humanitarian Hummus and Zeins magical spices to benefit families who need help with groceries. They have enlisted artist Sree Nara a Barrington High School senior to sell her art work donating 30% to charities around food.

Previously sales of Zein's Magical spices helped a team of 15 individuals travel to South Korea on a mission trip. Many of these individuals were children of fathers who served in the Korean war and their return to where their fathers served was deeply meaningful made possible by a team of social entrepreneurs. During the fund raising several children interacted with some of the travelers like Sara Edwards learning about the sacrifices made by people like her dad in the Korean war. "I had no idea about this war, said 15 year old Dimetri who was on the team to raise funds to help volunteers travel to Korea. Service learning through the act of raising funds in a challenging market accomplished multiple tasks such as enabling volunteers travel to Korea, educating students about the sacrifices made during the Korean war and creating a network of new volunteers.

For more information visit: www.peterwulfcenter.org or email at peterwulffcenter@gmail.com

Humanitarian Ventures through Collaboration

"The principal goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done – men who are creative, inventive and discoverers." _ Jean Piaget

One of the goals in a community is to develop youth who have character and as a result can address challenges along the way. However a community needs to offer challenges for these youth to run with and find methods to go beyond their potential. Students Jack Weed and Krish Nara from Barrington Middle School and John Dever from Barrington High School are taking on a leadership challenge to host a dinner on April 6th for 100 people at Salem United Methodist Church. All proceeds of the dinner will benefit the Migrant and Refugee Ministry at St Anne's Church that provides help with rental assistance, meals, winter clothes and furniture.

In order to accomplish their mission Jack and John will help with sales, organization, technology, hosting, serving and cleaning up after the event. As officers of this project they will try to recruit other youth volunteers, seek donations from sponsors for the event and engage the community through marketing and PR. Award winning cook Zein Bertacchi will prepare a homemade meal for this humanitarian venture. Zein and her band of fellow volunteers have raised over $250,000 in the last 20 years for local and global charities through serving food at chess events and dinners. " Jack and John will discover what it takes to organize, serve a meal and be involved through understanding the impact from the funds they collect. Learning to appreciate the privilege of serving with other dedicated volunteers will be a valuable lesson as well.

Both Jack Weed and John Dever have won the President Volunteer Awards from the White House for their outstanding work. Krish Nara joins their team as an enterprising, dedicated volunteer and as a nominee for the Presidential Youth Award from the White House for 2025. The Peter Wulff Center aspires to help youth reach beyond their potential by driving their ambition to be smart, compassionate leaders of tomorrow. With the help of adult mentors they create social entrepreneurial companies where they can mobilize their talents and skills in a wide variety of ways to benefit humanity. John, Krish and Jack serving as Youth Advisory Board Members for the Peter Wulff Center. The center educates, trains and finds employment for over 300 youth from underprivileged families living in the slums of Delhi, India.

The Barrington community comes together through adult and youth volunteers who support the project, collaboration with St Anne's and Salem church and local businesses, awareness of the needs of others around us and learning from each other as we "practise our humanity" (Yo Yo Ma) This worksymbolizes the courage, enterprise, initiative, determination, humor, energy, confidence, optimism, and zest that unites a community.

Event Highlights:

 Dinner & Desserts prepared by local chef
 Guest Speakers
How You Can Help:
 Attend the event and show your support - $40 per person

 Make a tax deductible financial donation to aid migrant families/asylum seekers through St Annes or Salem Church. Salem UMC is EIN: 58-1289675

 Volunteer your time or resources (small-scale furniture, household items, Spanish skills)

RSVP by Mailing a check for $40/person to Salem Methodist Church, 115 West Lincoln Avenue, Barrington IL 60010 Make it payable to Salem UMC with “April 6 Migrant Dinner” in memo section.

Service Learning and its cognitive, social and cultural impact on the brain and society.

Introducing The Peter Wulff Center

Sharing the privilege of learning through raising funds. If all children grow up to access learning the net pool of knowledge would grow extending benefits to society and civilization.

In 2010 a group of youth and adult social entrepreneurs set their goals to start a computer center in the heart of the Govidpuri slums in Delhi, India run by the non profit, Project Why. The children named the computer center after teacher Maggie Gruber Black from Barrington IL. There were a variety of innovative methods used to raise funds and soon 9 computers were operating for 350 students to begin their lessons in math and technology. Ten years later only 2 computers were still operating so a group of social entrepreneurs led by 10 year old Jack Weed a student at the Barrington public schools decided to help raise funds for replacing the broken computers. He collaborated with adult volunteers and raised funds to sponsor an evening of fundraising through hosting cooking lessons and dinner.

Here is a video of the computer center: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmyDix4rvT0&t=34s&ab_channel=KiranFrey

On July 12th the Peter Wulff Center at Project Why will raise funds for a computer to allow more children access to computers and learning.

Jack was deeply touched by the children from the slums expressing their gratitude through photos. But through his act of service he understands his unique position where he has the support and iengagement of his community. Zein Bertacchi a talented cook and enthusiastic volunteer has supported his role as project leader and will teach Middle East cooking lessons followed by a gourmet meal on the 12th.

The Peter Wulff Center is open to ideas, volunteers and funds and offers teaching internships in Delhi, India.

More information is at www.peterwulffcenter.org

It all begins with mobilising higher functions such as curiosity, empathy and entreperneurship.