Weekly Roundup

July 2, 2026

Check out this week's roundup of the incredible ways our students are impacting their communities! This week features a meaningful reflection from a Washington, D.C. travel scholarship recipient, alongside Benjamin Project stories of a Nebraska student bringing joy to pediatric cancer patients, a Minnesota student delivering over 300 pairs of socks to a local shelter, and a thoughtful project surprising school teachers with much-deserved treats and supplies.

The Benjamin Project

Carys and Aubrey - Minnesota

Carys and Aubrey with the finished teacher gift bags lined up on the table
Carys and Aubrey holding up the decorated gift bags they made for their teachers Carys and Aubrey shopping for teacher gift supplies at Target A student filling the teacher gift bags with snacks and supplies
We wanted to do something nice for the teachers at our school, so we used our Benjamin Project funds to buy snacks and supplies for each teacher and wrote a note to each of them. Our PTO raised an extra $20 for us, and when we gave everything to them they were all so happy and loved it all. We loved seeing their faces and the excitement from the gift. We filled it with popcorn, pretzels, cookies, fruit snacks, Capri Suns, pencils, pens, and a sweet note from us.
The Benjamin Project

Julia - Nebraska

The cause I have chosen for my Benjamin Project is pediatric oncology. I believe that childhood should be filled with joyful memories while living a happy, healthy life. Unfortunately, this is not the reality for some children. That's why I am using my seed money to support pediatric cancer organizations, with the hope of making these children's time in the hospital a little bit better. I am donating the money I raised, which is $300, along with my other $100, to Nebraska Medicine, with the support of my mom, who works there. The funds will go to the Department of Child Life Services, which helps children and their parents navigate the challenges they face. This department also strives to bring fun activities into the hospital for each child to enjoy, which in this case could be trinkets and activities to keep them busy.
The Benjamin Project

Sam - Minnesota

I used my money to buy socks for homeless shelters! I turned my $100 into over $500 and was able to afford over 300 pairs of socks! These socks will be donated to a homeless shelter in Minneapolis.
Scholarship Reflection

Josie - North Dakota

Thank you so much for the scholarship, and for making it possible for me to go on this awesome trip! I had the best time ever, and it was really cool and informative to see all the historic sights. It was so much fun, and I'm so grateful for the scholarship. Thank you for making this experience so good. I wish I could go back again because I had a lot of fun. It felt like a short trip, but it was really fun. Read Josie's full day-by-day reflection on her Washington, D.C. trip →