Teenagers Create a Company that Measures Profits in Lives Improved

“Principles are good and worth the effort only when they develop into deeds,” Van Gogh

Barrington Middle School students Krish Nara and Jack Weed create a non profit company, "NeedHope" to benefit families in need. For the last 3 years they have worked with mentors Christopher Majkowski and Zein Bertacchi to address burning issues of our time such as hunger, education and lack of shelter and clothing. Their company Needhope operates under the nonprofit Peter Wulff Center. Krish and Jack have served many roles besides being CEO and President to accomplish their goals. They have cleaned, served meals, conducted PR and Marketing campaigns, sorted clothes for donation, worked as technologists, acted as sales agents, videographers, assisted in fundraisers and expanded their network to include a wide audience. The Peter Wulff Center has raised over $331,395 over the last 20 years thanks to youth and adult social entrepreneurs.

The impact of their work has touched lives in the slums of Delhi, India where they raised funds for a computer center. The Peter Wulff Center runs a computer center with 8 computers offering access and learning to 300 students from the Govindpuri slums in Delhi. A photo above can be seen where children thanked Jack as he raised funds for a new computer. The computer center enabled Mitto born without legs to become a hardware specialist and 4 students trained at the center secured admission to the elite engineering Indian Institute of Technology. Children from the slums would hardly have access to computers without this computer center.

Locally, both teenagers have impacted the lives of families needing clothes and food. They were one of 20 volunteers serving dinner to 100 people at Salem United Methodist Church raising $61,000. The intergenerational work expands their perspective developing new ideas and promoting learning. Krish and Jack worked to serve a Christmas Lunch to over 150 ex prisoners in Chicago with the non profit, Outside the Walls. There they discovered that establishing a chess club would help with reducing recidivism. Both Jack and Krish said, "we learned a new word". But by raising funds for a new chess club they practised their principals of concern for their fellow man. Both students won the elite Presidents Youth Volunteering Award from the White House 2 years ago but that did not allow them to rest on their laurels instead they achieved more after their award.

They continue to work with other outstanding teenagers Sree Nara, John Dawson and Prabhtej Singh and Prabhgun Kaur to help create a culture of learning, sharing, caring and doing to make a difference in this world.

Join us by emailing peterwulffcenter@gmail.com