Weekly Roundup
September 3, 2026
See the inspiring ways our students are taking action in their communities! This week's Benjamin Project features a Nevada student shopping for essentials for neighbors in need, two Minnesota students purchasing 61 pairs of needed items to fill a local nonprofit shortage, and a Nebraska student donating high-quality lotions to bring comfort and dignity to domestic violence survivors. Rounding out the week is a moving travel scholarship reflection from a Montana student who honored her grandfather's fallen comrades at the Vietnam Memorial and made lifelong friends in Washington, D.C.
Abigail and Adalyn - Minnesota
One of our group members' moms works at The Drawer and she said they always seemed to be out of women's size small underwear. So we used the $100 to buy 61 pairs of the underwear they needed, and then bundled and sorted them. The underwear will go to different organizations who will pass them out to people who need it!
Kaliyani - Nevada
I had lots of fun shopping for people in need. It made me very proud and grateful knowing that I was helping out and made a difference in my community.
Ny'Lah - Nebraska
With my 100 dollars I spent $95.93 on travel sized, good quality lotion to support women with a history of domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse. I donated Olay, Aveeno, Herbal Essence, and Vaseline to YouTurn Omaha which used those resources to give to women. Through my research, studies showed that 41% of homeless women are victims of sexual assault and 70% have suffered from domestic violence. I found that most homeless women tend to avoid staying in shelters. There are not many shelters available for women without children, many only offering support for women with children leaving the other women with nowhere to turn to. They choose to avoid shelters because they feel that they pose a risk to their safety, with men sometimes staying in the only shelters they are left to go to. They create the risk of being abused and assaulted again.
So, I came up with the solution to do the best thing I could do to support those women, making even the slightest bit of an impact. Most women enjoy smelling good lotions, the feeling of being soft and nourished bringing a feeling of joy and comfort. When women leave their homes escaping danger and come to shelters, they often leave their belongings that bring them comfort behind. I chose to donate good lotions because oftentimes when people donate things they'll think, "they'll take whatever they're offered" and donate lower quality lotions and brands.
I wanted to give women a luxury they may not be able to enjoy while staying in a shelter, making them feel comforted and supported, and feel comfortable to stay in a shelter. I was happy to be able to make some type of impact on my community even though it may have been small. This small scale project made me think of what I could do for my community on a larger scale with more resources!
Kaylee - Montana
Thank you for the opportunity to go to our nation's Capital. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We got to see so many historical landmarks and memorials. The one that stood out to me the most was the Holocaust Museum which was very intense because when you're walking through it there's a room that has the shoes from those we've lost from the Holocaust, and there was also a room that had their hair. It made me very sad walking through all of it and getting to learn about it more in depth. It also made me very frustrated when I saw other people there being disrespectful. When I was walking through The Hall Of Remembrance I saw some other people lighting the candles and that was very touching. I was very grateful for the opportunity to go to the Vietnam Memorial and be able to find the names of my grandpa's fallen comrades and be able to send him the photos of their names. When I signed up for this trip I hadn't realized that none of my friends were going so when we finally went to DC I didn't have anyone to hang out with. When our chaperones let us loose in the museums they made us go in groups of three. I was scared because I didn't have any friends to pair up with but I saw two other people and decided to join them. All three of us actually clicked immediately and became best friends for life, so I'm thankful for this trip and the many places we got to go and the friendships I made along the way.