4/22/10

Change the World, Change Your Life

Angela Perkey

Show Description:
18,000 children die of hunger every day. By 2030, there will be no glaciers left in Glacier National Park. 47 million Americans do not have health insurance. From job loss and foreclosures to global warming and proverty, it's hard not to feel powerless in the face of such depressing news. Yet, many young people today are more eager than ever to get involved, to do something to improve the world. They crave meaningful lives that are worth remembering.

Change the World, Change Your Life shows young people how to get involved and effectively address the problems they care most about, from their own backyard to the world stage.

Angela Perkey is the founder of Students Serve, a national nonprofit that awards service grants to college students.

http://www.changetheworldchangeyourlife.com

Guest Bio:

Angela Perkey is the Founder and Executive Director of Students Serve, a national 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides money to college students so that they can make a difference in their communities. She founded the organization after her freshman year at the College of William and Mary in 2006.
 
She noticed in her classes that she and her fellow students were studying persistent social problems but not doing anything to solve them. Pollution, illiteracy, violence, health care, war—the problems seemed to be endless. Although professors challenged them to form solutions through innovative thinking, few students could use their ideas to improve the world due to lack of funding. Because of this, she created Students Serve to provide grants that empower students across America to use their education to benefit communities.
 
With funding from Students Serve, college students have initiated effective, needed programs such as an art program for low-income youth, a recycling program that donates wheelchairs to low-income senior citizens, and a shelter for abused women and their children. Students Serve has been mentioned or featured in several publications, including the Chronicle of Higher Education, USA Today, Tennessean, Daily Press, and other regional newspapers.
 
A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Angela loves her full-time job as a Business Analyst and currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area.