Applying Knowledge Outside the Classroom

As a university professor, I often wonder if the principles, theories, and facts I talk about in class find their way into the crevasses of my students’ brains, moving from simple recall to effective application. Not only did my former student Brett Kolomyjec dispel those concerns for me, he blew away any expectations I might have had.

In his senior year at Dallas Baptist University, Brett leveraged an issue that had frustrated him into creating a non-profit organization fighting against extreme global poverty. For some time, Brett had wanted to help orphans in Africa, but on a college student’s budget even $30 or $40 a month was out of reach. Then he realized that his situation was common to almost all college students: big hearts – little wallets. But even a college kid can afford one dollar a month. And so Dollar For The Poor was born.

Hearing Brett talk about his vision and execution, I realized this matters on so many levels. From an academic stand point, Brett is implementing principles from management, marketing, information systems, economics, and psychology.

On a spiritual level he is learning how to obey God’s command to care for orphans and widows, to give a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name and to walk by faith.

On a practical level Brett is learning about opportunity recognition, problem solving and fund raising, among others.

On a global sociological level Brett is creatively working on one piece of a solution to a complex, multidimensional problem that plagues our world.

But perhaps most significantly, an orphan child in Africa will go to bed with a full stomach, having attended a day of school today thanks to the work that Brett is doing.

Dollar For the Poor is a registered, non-profit organization that partners with other organizations strategically positioned to address six key areas of global poverty: housing, sanitation and water, hunger, basic healthcare, sex trafficking, and education. Currently, over 2,700 monthly partners have signed up to join Brett in his campaign against global poverty. Members contribute one dollar a month and enlist their friends through Facebook, Twitter and email to join the fight.
Oh, and if starting this organization is not enough, Brett is spending eight weeks (six in Seattle and two in Ghana, West Africa) living on the streets and in a village on less than one dollar a day. He hopes the experience will give him insight into the daily plight of over 50% of the world’s population that live on that amount, not by choice but because of their lack of choices.

For more information, visit www.dbu.edu.