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Student Involvement

From the very beginning the Buckeye Clinic in South Sudan was built with the outpouring of love from students across Central Ohio who wanted to be part of the mission to save lives in South Sudan. As of 2019, schools have raised an incredible $170,000 for the clinic. 

Bol Aweng and his cousin Jok Dau, Lost Boys of Sudan and co-founders of the Buckeye Clinic in South Sudan, discovered in those early years of trying to raise funds to build the clinic in his remote village of South Sudan, that it was the students they shared their story with that were the most enthusiastic. Teachers saw it as an opportunity to encourage service-learning projects by raising awareness about refugees, about the Lost Boys and the dire needs in South Sudan that has had decades of war, famine and various humanitarian emergencies. 

The students have had an opportunity to learn firsthand from Bol Aweng, survivor of the crisis in southern Sudan. Inspired by his story, students wanted to help the people in Bol’s former village. High school, middle school, and even elementary school students have participated. 

Through a power point presentation featuring his artwork depicting his life as a Lost Boy, Bol recalls his story. Students readily connect with him and his story because he was their age when he fled his country, walked 1,500 miles, and lived in refugee camps for 14 years. They are inspired to join him in his desire to improve maternal and child health conditions in his village. The schools over the years have done incredible fund-raising events to help support the work of the Buckeye Clinic. After sharing his story at an elementary school, a couple of students inspired the whole school to get involved with helping to raise money for the clinic. Bol was surprised when they presented a check to him for over one thousand dollars. There are countless stories like this of students being touched by the urgent need of mothers and children thousands of miles away whom they will never meet. 

 A Rich History of School Involvement 

 The first school to get involved was Upper Arlington High School. In the first year their service-learning project raised almost $15,000. They established a “Strides 4 South Sudan” club and over seven years raised more than $56,000 for the clinic. Read their complete story in the Student and Teacher Testimonials section. 

Here is a summary of the schools that have been involved since 2009 in helping to fund the work of the Buckeye Clinic.

2009 

  • Upper Arlington High School
  • Hilliard Bradley High School

2010

  • Upper Arlington High School
  • Westerville Walnut Ridge Middle School
  • Hilliard Darby Creek Elementary
  • Hilliard Darby High School Diversity Club
  • Marburn Academy

2011 

  • Upper Arlington High School
  • Bexley Middle School
  • Westerville Walnut Ridge Middle School
  • Hilliard Darby Creek Elementary
  • Wellington Middle School
  • Columbus Buckeye Middle School
  • Hilliard Bradley High School
  • Columbus Academy
  • Worthington Linworth Alternative High School
  • Columbus Alternative and College Preparatory School
  • 5th Avenue International School

2012

  • Upper Arlington High School
  • Bexley Middle School
  • Westerville Walnut Ridge Middle School
  • Columbus Global Academy
  • Wellington Middle School
  • Columbus Buckeye Middle School
  • Pickerington Lakeview Junior High School
  • Hilliard Ridgewood Elementary
  • Worthington Linworth Alternative High School
  • Buckeyes Without Borders
  • Global Gallery Friends
  • Engineers Without Borders
  • Students Against Genocide

2013 

  • Upper Arlington High School
  • Bexley Middle School
  • Wellington Middle School
  • Columbus Buckeye Middle School
  • Hilliard Ridgewood Elementary
  • Newark Catholic

2014 

  • Upper Arlington High School
  • Bexley Middle School
  • Wellington Middle School
  • Upper Arlington Hastings Middle School
  • Southwestern Park Street Intermediate
  • Hilliard Ridgewood Elementary
  • Big Walnut Local School
  • Upper Arlington Jones Middle School

2015

  • Bexley Middle School
  • Upper Arlington Hastings Middle School
  • Hilliard Ridgewood Elementary
  • Upper Arlington Jones Middle School
  • Northmont Middle School in Clayton, OH
  • Hubbard Mastery School
  • River Valley Local School District

2016 

  • Upper Arlington High School (Grand Total of $56,000)
  • Bexley Middle School
  • Wellington Upper School
  • Southwestern Park Street Intermediate
  • Upper Arlington Hastings Middle School
  • Upper Arlington Jones Middle School
  • Hubbard Mastery School
  • River Valley Local School District

2017 

  • Bexley Middle School
  • Upper Arlington Hastings Middle School
  • Southwestern Park Street Intermediate School
  • Upper Arlington Jones Middle School
  • Ohio State North and South Sudanese Association
  • Dublin Davis Middle School
  • Discovery Schools in Mansfield, OH
  • Hilliard Horizon Elementary
  • Reynoldsburg Education Association
  • Blendon Middle School, Westerville
  • Wellington Upper School

2018 

  • Bexley High School Key Club
  • Bexley Middle School (Grand total $51,054.37)
  • Upper Arlington Hastings Middle School (Grand total $14,002.22)
  • Dublin Davis Middle School
  • Dublin Sells Middle School
  • Hilliard Memorial Middle School
  • Licking Heights North Elementary
  • Haywood Middle School Springfield School District