20 Students, $2,000 Seed Money, and a $26,000 Impact
April 23, 2026 · New Prague, Minnesota
At Global Doing Good, we believe that when you trust young people with the resources to do good in their communities, they don't just meet expectations — they shatter them. This week, we are featuring a remarkable group of 20 students from one of our partner schools in Minnesota. Each of the 20 students were given $100 in seed funding to go do good.
While the initial funding totaled $2,000, these students utilized their voices, their networks, and their creativity to raise an additional $24,000. From local food shelves to cancer research, and everything in between, the ripples of their projects are being felt throughout their community and broader metro area.
Turning $100 into Thousands
For many students, the $100 was just the beginning. They used the seed money to buy supplies for fundraisers or presented their vision to local businesses to secure matching grants.
Declan took his mission to the next level by presenting his project to a local business, Dairy Products Inc. They were so moved by his dedication to the Hope for the Community food shelf that they offered a 10-to-1 match. Between his personal outreach and the match, Declan delivered over $11,000 to help feed families in Elko New Market.
View full story →Annie focused her efforts on the new Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in New Prague. After presenting her goals to her church, neighbors, and family, she raised a staggering $4,890 to provide comfort items like blankets and activities for patients undergoing treatment.
Nora combined modern tech with traditional grit. She started a GoFundMe for Majestic Hills Ranch, secured a matching grant from the O'Neil Foundation, and even gave a speech at a banquet to earn a donation from the Minnesota Horse Council. Her final total: $2,288 to purchase an AED and riding gear for the ranch.
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Creativity in Action
Other students used their $100 to produce more good by making items to sell. Jocey spent her seed money on ornament-making supplies, hand-crafting four different styles to sell before Christmas. She turned that $100 into $740 in profit, which she split between the Jordan Food Shelf and the Duck Cup Memorial. Similarly, Ava raised $500 for breast cancer research with Susan G. Komen Foundation by selling handmade bracelets.
Meeting Immediate Needs
Not every impact is measured in four-figure donations; some are measured in the comfort of a child or helping a neighbor.
Max and his family partnered with Bridge to Freedom, a program serving previously incarcerated women, to create hygiene kits. Originally, they were going to provide the kits to local food shelves. When they noticed an immediate need due to local events in Minneapolis, they pivoted to support a volunteer hub serving the Hispanic community.
Evelyn met with a supervisor at Scott County Foster Care to find out exactly what kids need when they are removed from their homes. She used her funds to provide baby sleep sacks, books, and teething toys — items that provide a small sense of security during a difficult transition.
McKenzie and Isabella focused on the youngest members of the community, supporting Kaitlyn's Kloset and Adopt-a-Family programs to ensure moms and children had the supplies and gifts they needed for the holidays.
Year after year the ideas get bigger, the organizations get broader, and the results get more and more impactful.
Over the past 3 years our students have participated in the Benjamin Project and we've been fortunate enough to see some amazing ideas and results come from our students. The program has grown into something that our students and community can be proud of. We've seen the impact locally with many students choosing to benefit organizations close to home like our local food shelf, the local elderly living facility, the local education foundation, or a local mental health awareness group. We've also seen some of our students branch out and take their impact well beyond their local community, some students have reached out to larger organizations benefiting breast cancer awareness, a women's shelter, the make a wish foundation, and even a horse training facility for special needs kids to name a few. Throughout the past three years we have seen the students come up with creative ways to turn their $100 into thousands to help their chosen organizations. Local businesses have stepped up to match funds for some students which has allowed them to multiply their funds to donate large sums of money to some of these places.
The idea started with a little uneasiness a few years ago, but now students understand what the Benjamin Project means and what it can turn into with some effort on their part. The wide variety of ideas and results has been so rewarding to see for our school district. Year after year the ideas get bigger, the organizations get broader, and the results get more and more impactful. It's an exciting time around our community as people are starting to recognize the student's stories and the Benjamin Project will continue to grow in our schools as more and more people are opening their eyes to students doing good!
The Collective Ripple
Whether it was Cy supporting the elderly at Praha Village, Sydney investing in scholarships through the New Prague Education Foundation, or Brandon filling church pews with Thanksgiving meals, these 20 students proved that doing good is a muscle that gets stronger the more you use it.
We are so proud of this Minnesota cohort. They didn't just see a need; they took ownership of the solution.