Weekly Roundup: April 2, 2026
Check out this week's roundup of the good things going on at GDG! Benjamin Project stories this week feature a student group who created a sled box for their Minnesota community to enjoy and an anti-drug use campaign that raised nearly $500, ending with students getting to pie a teacher. We also saw our first scholarship reflection come through from a student in Iowa!
Student Ambassadors - Minnesota
With the $100, our Student Ambassadors group completed a "Borrow A Sled" project for a local sledding hill. Students bought, constructed and painted items for the sled box and also created a sign to go on it. Students voted on sleds they would like to add to the box and delivered the box to the top of the hill. The whole community who visits the hill can borrow and return sleds. This is especially important for low-income families who can't afford sleds. It offers the opportunity for them to have some fun!
Aubrey - Wisconsin
"The $100 greatly affected our community by providing awareness for anti-drug use. We used the money to run 3 different activities to promote Red Ribbon Week. The activities were:
- Writing positive affirmations about Red Ribbon Week that encouraged people to stay away from drug use. Every student got a post-it note placed on their locker.
- We ran a poster making contest, which spread awareness about Red Ribbon Week. Winners of the contest received gift cards. The winner of the contest also had their poster enlarged and hung in the front office.
- We ran a fundraiser that allowed kids to donate money to receive a ticket that could enter them into a raffle. The people that got drawn from the raffle, got to pie a teacher in the face at a school wide assembly.
The activities created a fun and exciting atmosphere, yet helped show the effect that drug use can have on people. We were able to raise $458 in total. We used the money to donate to the Nova Center- a local drug rehab center that creates a free and safe space for people who are recovering from drug use."
Kaislyn - Iowa
Thank you so much for this opportunity! D.C. was an amazing trip and I am so excited to share my experience with you! In DC I did many fun activities. Like going to the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. I learned about what Abraham Lincoln did, and his impacts on the world. This was a very fun visit, I learned so much! We saw the Washington Monument, which I learned took two different types of stones to build because of the time it took to build. We also saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This part of the trip showed me how our nation can come together to honor the fallen. Especially with Arlington National Cemetery. Another favorite place of mine was the Holocaust Museum. There, I learned how the Holocaust affected millions of people, and their impact on history today. Finally, my all time favorite place we visited was the Pentagon Memorial of 9/11. I thought it was a beautiful memorial, and honored the people we lost so well. Overall, this trip was extremely rewarding. I learned so many new things about our country's history. And history all over the world. Thank you so much for this opportunity, I could not have done it without you guys! You made my dream a reality. I learned so much in so little time. I definitely recommend anyone that is thinking about going to DC to take the opportunity and go. It is an extremely knowledgeable experience. Once again, thank you for this experience, I hope you enjoyed this letter of gratitude, and my experiences in DC.