Melly Wolfe, junior, founder of Mission Compassion: I was really frustrated with the concept that teens are inconsequential and can’t do anything, and we just sit around and eat. I’ve never believed that and I’ve never liked that people think that, so Mission Compassion was founded on the basis that teens have the capacity to do way more than adults expect. You don’t have to wait until you have a college degree or until you have a job to make an impact. You can start now.

TKC: Was there anyone who helped you start Mission Compassion?

Wolfe: Mrs. (Karen) Ambuehl who now teaches at North Middle was the club’s original sponsor and was instrumental in the beginning of figuring out the details of the club. During the Botswana book drive last February, she drove 23,674 books down to Atlanta in a U-Haul over the Valentine’s Day weekend for a bunch of teenagers, which was amazing.

TKC: How many projects does the club take on each year?

Wolfe: We have one project a quarter and then mini-projects interspersed all year long.

TKC: What is the club currently working on?

Wolfe: We have two [projects] going on right now. We have our official quarter project which is our fundraiser for Camp Barnabas. [Camp Barnabas] is a summer camp for kids with special needs. There’s a little girl who I volunteer with and who I babysit who has Down Syndrome, her name is Libby. She’s coming to Camp Barnabas with me next summer, so the club is trying to raise money for her tuition to attend the camp. Then our mini-project is a coin collection for Reece’s Rainbow, which is an adoption grant ministry for orphan kids with special needs who live overseas.

TKC: What is the best experience you have had with the club so far?

Wolfe: The best moment was on Valentine’s Day 2014 when students had a day off school but all the administration from every school in the district came to the high school and Mission Compassion was featured as one of the speakers for the administration [to listen to]. So every teacher that I’ve ever had and every teacher I’ll ever have was in that room. I stood [on a] stage and talked about the values of Mission Compassion and the Botswana book drive. It was so cool because our elementary and middle school teachers were able to see what we’d accomplished in high school. They gave us a big standing ovation and a round of applause, so that was a really amazing moment for me and the club.

TKC: Have you made any significant relationships or friends through Mission Compassion?

Wolfe: On the student level it’s really encouraging to see that there are so many other kids who have the same interests as I do, and who want to make a difference instead of sitting around and waiting for the next step. I had no idea these kids had those same interests until they joined Mission Compassion.

TKC: How has the club grown since it first began?

Wolfe: When [the club] first began we had 11 members and one sponsor but now we officially have 67 people involved with the club and its fundraisers. New members are always welcome.

TKC: How could students or administration not directly involved in the club help?

Wolfe: We are starting to collect spare change from the student body for Reece’s Rainbow. There’s a little orphan boy with Down Syndrome named Rogan involved in Reece’s Rainbow who we are fundraising for. Also, next semester we will have two big projects which the student body will be able to help out with as well.

TKC: Do you have any ideas on what the club will be involved in next year?

Wolfe: Next year will be all about making sure there’s a lifespan for Mission Compassion past when I graduate. I really would like [the club] to be my legacy at Kirkwood and have it continue to change lives after I’m gone. So next year will be focused on getting more people involved in the club so it can continue to grow even after I’m gone. I really hope [the club] doesn’t fade and die off after I’m gone. Next year there will be more involvement within the school and an attempt to get more general support from the student body, but there will still be globally and locally based projects with the same values we’ve always upheld.

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Emily Chiles