An Education in Economics,
Entrepreneurship, and Philanthropy
Kids Helping Kids Helps Kids
in Santa Barbara Learn by Doing
By Leslie Dinaberg | Photos by Ingrid Bostrom
January 11, 2024
“This is definitely a school project on steroids,” laughed Isaac Hedges, in what has to be the understatement of the century.
Isaac, a senior at Providence High School, is one of the core team members of Kids Helping Kids, an entirely student-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded right here in Santa Barbara and a real-world example of Aristotle’s classic idea that the best way to learn just about anything is by doing it.
Kids Helping Kids (KHK) has raised more than $3.1 million since its founding as part of the Advanced Placement Economics Class at San Marcos High School in 2002. What began as a penny drive for the Unity Shoppe at the old Ruby’s Diner, and as a vehicle for teacher Jamie DeVries to get his students engaged in the concepts of economics and learn about giving back through philanthropy, has since grown into both an educational and fundraising powerhouse, with kids working to help the lives of other kids both locally and globally in a number of ways. Most notably, it is through student-produced annual benefit gala concerts, which began in 2009 and have featured artists such as Sara Bareilles, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and Andy Grammer.
KHK’s last large musical production was a two-night double whammy at The Granada Theatre in 2019, featuring Ben Rector on night one and Johnnyswim on night two. After a five-year break (thanks to COVID, changes in district policy on working with nonprofits, and DeVries taking some personal time off before changing schools), the kids are back in action with a big benefit show at the Arlington Theatre on January 19. The concert features Grammy-winning, alt-Christian band Switchfoot as the headliner on a bill that also includes the return of husband-wife pop duo Johnnyswim and a short set by singer-songwriter-pianist Brendan James.
Musical artists Switchfoot (left) and Johnnyswim | Credit: Courtesy
The students putting on the show this year are now a city-wide collective of high schoolers from San Marcos, Dos Pueblos, and Providence, the small private Christian school where DeVries now teaches and whose students have taken on the primary leadership roles. The AP Economics class was completed before winter break, but student volunteers were hard at work during their vacation, putting all of the pieces together for this rather massive endeavor.
The funds raised for the show go primarily toward the global beneficiary Set Beautiful Free (setbeautifulfree.org), a nonprofit based in Southeast Asia that works to help victims of sex trafficking by rehabilitating and empowering them with sustainable opportunities through education and vocational training. Some of the girls helped by Set Beautiful Free spoke to students in Santa Barbara last year, and getting to know them was part of what motivated KHK CEO Madison Schock to get involved.
“Their stories were just something you don’t always hear all the time,” said Madison, a senior. “I think for me, I felt very connected to it. I grew up in Kazakhstan, which is an area that’s very similarly affected by sex trafficking and brokenness. So I felt very close to them, even though I hadn’t met them and they’re on the other side of the world.” She is interested in a career in international law and politics, “so this is a great way to get into it and start to understand and meet new people and learn how to help serve.”
Feeling that personal connection to the cause is a big motivator for the KHK team. Last spring, Providence students Tessa Knoles, a senior on the Marketing Team, and Ava Wagner, a junior and the Director of Outreach, both went to India — as part of the school’s TRIAD (Travel, Research, Investigate, Art, Discover) program — to learn a bit more about the kids they were helping.
“It was very hard to convince my parents to let me go, but me and Tessa went with a group of eight,” shared Ava. “And then that kind of opened the door … to see, ‘Oh, we should do something about this.’ Because once you see what’s happening in the red-light district, it’s hard to go back. It’s hard not to do anything about it. And so being able to walk through the streets of Mumbai, one of the biggest trafficking areas in Asia, and kind of see that all, and then you come back here. I can’t just not do it. I can’t just sit here and be quiet.”
She continued, describing the difference this is making in their lives. “You see these girls, who were hiding under beds, and they were hiding in closets. And so, to see them live such incredible lives. And the girls are all, like, doctors, and they’re engineers and musicians and dancers. Yeah, that’s amazing. It’s really cool to see — and so we came back and said, ‘We’ve gotta do something.’ ”
Some of the kids helped by Set Beautiful Free will be in Santa Barbara to participate in the KHK gala event as well. Ava explained, “We’re doing an opening scene with a couple girls from India who are coming to do a dance number with us. And we’re partnering with an aerial studio in Santa Barbara.” Lower-grade students will also be part of the dance number, she said. “So we’ve been working a lot on that and kind of figuring out how that is gonna run.”
The complexity of the KHK operation truly is mind-boggling.
“I think for me, one of the most surprising things is how many details go into a concert. And how many little things that you don’t think of when you go to a concert. There are so many little moments; everything’s so thought-out,” said Ava. The team plans out every moment from the time guests step on the grounds. “What do you want them to see? … How do you want the intermission to go? How do you make sure people in the VIP feel seen and taken care of? And so, all the details and the little stuff has been surprising. And wow, there’s a lot of little things that go into it.”
About 50 kids are participating so far, but as Ava said, “There’s been more volunteering every day.”
Madison and Ava are the primary liaisons for the volunteers from the other schools. At Dos Pueblos, Myles Shaddix has started a club to handle the tech side of things, said Madison.
“I have a call with Myles and the tech group every week to make sure they still feel like they’re in the loop. And we try to have meetings with them. We have group chats with them. So we’re trying to keep them involved in certain projects. So it still feels collaborative,” said Madison.
About what she’s learned from KHK, Madison said, “I think working collaboratively has been a really big one and learning how to schedule with other people. And then also keeping everyone’s opinions in mind and collaborating to find something we all feel good about, and we all feel we can put out and share with the world. We all have a common goal, which is always helpful. Everyone has different ideas and different strengths and particularly learning how to play to everyone’s strengths. So like, video editing, or public speaking, learning to identify that special talent or a trait in someone and how to help them use it.”
There is merchandise to design and order, timelines to figure out and execute, liaising with the artists, and the list of tasks goes on and on.
“I would say that every single student that’s involved with Kids Helping Kids is so connected to why we’re doing it,” said Madison. “And all of us have put so much effort into it. And we would love to share with everyone and get everyone united onto one goal that we all have been working toward for the past couple of months now. We just want to keep letting it grow and getting more people involved.”
“Eventually, the plan will be to have it be a full-year endeavor,” said DeVries. “Although the concert is primarily focused on Set Beautiful Free, with our school partnership in Mumbai, eventually, as in like, literally this year, we’re gonna start seeding a fund where these kids in our contacts with other public schools around Santa Barbara will give us a name of kids who need help. So there’ll be a fund where we can actually give grants out to kids and families that are struggling either socially, economically, or physically. So we’re gonna have our local focus and our international focus too.”
As the event gets closer, KHK anticipates getting more and more student volunteers.
“On the day of the event, there’s going to be a lot of people working behind the scenes,” explained Daniella Terry, a junior who is Chief of Operations. One of the longtime KHK traditions that will continue is that the girls wear black dresses and the boys wear tuxedos. “So that’s something I’ve been working on is ordering the tuxes and making sure they all get fitted,” said Daniella.
She also noted a tradition that honors Daisy Merrick, an 8-year-old Santa Barbara girl who died in 2013 after a long battle with cancer. KHK raised money to help with her treatment, and to honor her memory, all of the girls will wear daisies in their hair on the night of the event.
Teamwork is also an important part of Kids Helping Kids. “I think the willingness we all have to do it, just because we’re not getting anything from it other than experience, is I think we’re all getting deeper relationships with each other. And that’s something we’ll take with us forever,” said Lexi Underwood, a senior, who is working on some of the VIP upgrades for the event reception.
“For sure, people should know that it’s not just a concert. It’s for a bigger cause,” said Daniella.
In addition to selling tickets, getting sponsors is also something the KHK crew is working on.
“It’s contacting all these different companies and pitching our concert and then our scholarship,” explained Eliana Bordin, a Providence senior, who is the Director of Advancement. “We’ve already gone to Kyle’s Kitchen. [They had a meeting scheduled with the national Chick-fil-A organization as well.] So we go in groups of two people. And then we’re just like, ‘This is our mission; this is our story about the company.’ ”
Asked if it was difficult to go in and try to sell to adults, both Eliana and her advancement team member Isaac Hedges, also a senior, said they were enjoying it.
“I’m not doing just the same old education,” said Isaac. “I’m actually working on something more important. It makes you feel like an adult. And it shows that you have the capacity and ability to do that.”
He added, “Once you have everything you can do in your subconscious about Kids Helping Kids, and you know all the details and are really passionate about what you’re doing, it becomes really easy to just speak to them about what it is.”
The entrepreneurship and educational aspect and the philanthropic part of it go hand in hand for Kids Helping Kids.
“We are just a group of students trying to change the world. But what’s cool about it is that we’re learning economic principles. Serving others, and helping those most needy, which, obviously, is people in India and others that are socioeconomically disadvantaged, like with a scholarship. So all of them are really important,” said Isaac.
“I just think it’s great how much this brings the Santa Barbara community together, with different companies getting everyone together and to go to this cool concert, where you can actually celebrate helping others in need and practicing virtue. I think it’s great that people in Santa Barbara are able to get this great opportunity, to get the young and old all working together for the same shared purpose,” said Eliana.
For more information and to purchase tickets to the concert, see kidshelpingkidssb.org.
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