Release Details
Denver Venture School Students Use Entrepreneurial Skills to Help Children in Haiti
Date: Monday March 1,2010
Two students at Denver Venture School, a charter school with an entrepreneurial focus, recently used their newly developed business skills to raise over $400 for children in Haiti.
Rochelle Nicodemus (10th grade) and Reine Wright (9th grade) wanted to help victims of the Haiti earthquake, in particular children who were affected by the tragedy. With encouragement from teachers and administrative staff, the students decided to use their entrepreneurial skills to make it happen.
Student community and staff feedback led Nicodemus and Wright to the idea of selling Valentine candy grams in order to raise funds. The students were then encouraged to write a business proposal for their Head of School outlining the project, and research types of candy to sell that would enable them to give the most possibly proceeds to Haiti. The idea snowballed from there.
Wright’s mom donated the first batch of candy, and DVS staff members followed suit – meaning that 100% of the money raised would go to victims of the Haiti Quake.
Then, Nicodemus and Wright, came up with a plan to collaborate with the rest of the student body to execute their business plan. They set up a stand to sell candy grams each afternoon during lunch, recruited workers to help sell candy, tracked sales, wrote receipts, and figured out how to deliver the candy grams on Friday, February 12. And they did all of this right in the middle of finals week without sacrificing their grades.
The charity business venture was a success. The students sold over $300 worth of candy grams, and a DVS board member matched sales up to $100.
“The process was very organic,” said Brandy Bertram, Chief Operating Officer at Denver Venture School. “The adults at Denver Venture School just had to say ‘yes’ to the project and help remove some potential roadblocks, and the rest was the result of these two students’ passion and dedication. The girls successfully ran a candy business for a week and raised money for a good cause. We are very proud of what they accomplished.”
The money raised from candy gram sales will go to UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund), because, according to Nicodemus, “we wanted to focus on helping kids in Haiti who most need help.”
“…so they can have a better future,” added Wright.
Denver Venture School is a tuition-free public high school that offers a rigorous liberal-arts academic program with an entrepreneurial focus. DVS offers a relevant, project-based, business-oriented curriculum in a small public school environment, DVS enabling a diverse group of students to achieve academic, social, and career success. DVS prepares its students for four-year colleges and universities, while also allowing them to explore the challenges and rewards of becoming an entrepreneur.