Jade Sedeyn will be participating in a 21-day community service project this summer.
When a booklet on the Global Leadership Adventures program came in the mail to her residence, 15-year-old Cherry Hill High School West student Jade Sedeyn was instantly intrigued. After months of anticipation, this summer she will be participating in the program’s 21-day community service trip to Ghana, but first, she needs the community’s help with her fundraising efforts.
A program that enables high school students to gain insight into other cultures through travel and personal experience, GLA will provide Sedeyn, the president of the New Jersey Red Cross Youth volunteers, with this “once-in-a-lifetime experience” abroad through which she will spend her time volunteering in a small village school.
There, she will teach English to the native elementary children, as well as build and renovate the structures. She will also be learning pieces of a new language, how to survive with limited resources and how to be happy with much less than she has been accustomed to while residing in the U.S.
“I was looking for something I could do for my community,” Sedeyn, a Marlton native, said. “I found other programs and events, but going to another country to help others in need, and from a whole other culture, pulled me in the most.”
In seeking to become more globally aware and to gain a new perspective, Sedeyn initially applied to the program by filling out an online application involving a lengthy questionnaire. These questions requested information about her life at home, goals for the trip and academic performance.
Upon being selected for the program in Ghana, which she chose due to its specific mission project, she was filled with excitement at the idea of getting to visit to a new country and experiencing its culture. She is also looking forward to enriching the lives of the children there, and discovering what impact they will leave on her.
“I love children and I work really well with them,” Sedeyn said. “To be able to do something that I love, and by making an impact on their education and their lives, that’s more than I could hope for.”
For questions about her trip, visit Sedeyn’s blog, Newjerseytoghana.blogspot.com, or contact her at [email protected].
“I hope to leave Ghana appreciating all that I have, appreciating the chances and opportunities given to me. I also want to leave knowing that I helped give another child the chance to chase their dreams,” Sedeyn said. “I know [Ghana is] in disrepair, but I feel that seeing a place like that in person will really stick with me.”
For financial assistance with her trip, Sedeyn has organized two fundraising events, open to all ages, that will take place on Saturday, Feb. 25 at the Lake Pine Colony Club, located at 2 Chestnut Road in Medford. At her events, Sedeyn hopes to raise $1,500, but in total her trip will cost $7,000. The proceeds will go toward her plane ticket, as well as toward the cost of the GLA trip.
First, a “Pancakes with Princesses” fundraiser will be held from from 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m., and will include a pancake breakfast with the ice queen and frost sister from Laura’s Princess Appearances. Here, little ones can experience a magical morning breakfast.
Second, a “Star Wars Luncheon” fundraiser will take place from 12:30 p.m. until 2 p.m. At this event, attendees can enjoy a pizza luncheon with Star Wars characters and experience an afternoon with kids that is full of stories, games and picture opportunities. For more information on this event, or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/star-wars-luncheon-fundraiser-tickets-30942999344.
