The Better School, Better World Challenge is a fundraising campaign being conducted by Black Star Economic Alliance in conjunction with Atlanta Black Star, the number one Black-owned online publication for Black news, history and culture.
BSEA challenged students at Pine Forge Academy to explain how they are going to build a better world in a 90-second video. In addition, the community was challenged to show support for these students by donating to their education and voting for the best video.
Build Me A Better School Challenge was a fundraiser for students to be creative and reach out to their personal contacts and social media network to campaign. For every $5 you donate to the cause, you get one vote. The student with the most votes wins the challenge, which was up to one year of paid tuition and expenses at Pine Forge Academy.
Two academy students, Tyler McKinney and Solomon Williams created videos and raised $14,025 in two months. Central State’s own Tyler McKinney of Linwood Church in Kansas City, Missouri, won the competition with the most video votes. McKinney’s video shows him starting his day as an academy student. He tells how Pine Forge is molding and shaping him as a world leader with God and ends with the quote “If you can build me a better school, I can build you a better world.” Tyler is a senior and the balance of his account at the competition end was $10,937.65. Solomon Williams was also a winner, receiving $3,087.64.
—Brittany Winkfield is communication director for the Central States Conference.
